A larger than life size replica of Khadau or a wooden slipper of Lord Ram is placed on the illuminated bank of the river Saryu on the eve of a groundbreaking ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Lord Ram's grand Ram Mandir bhoomi pujan is happening today in Ayodhya. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of one of the historic, holiest structure the country is ever going to build. Though Ayodhya is the town where the Ram Temple is going to be built making it one of the most auspicious cities in the country, Lord Ram has a special connection with the Chhattisgarh state also, yes it's true because its the place of his ancestral grand parents, the house of her mother Kaushalya before her marriage with King Dasharatha and much more. A look at Lord Ram's special connection with Chhattisgarh.
The idol of 'Ram Lalla' at the Ram Janambhoomi site in Ayodhya.
Lord Ram's special connection with Chhattisgarh | Lesser known facts
- It is believed that Lord Ram spent 10 out of his 14 years of exile in forests of Chhattisgarh.
- A Chhattisgarh government release said Lord Ram during his exile years visited 75 places and stayed at 51 of them.
- Chhattisgarh's Chandkhurai was the place which houses his mother Kausalya's home. The town also has a temple dedicated to Lord Ram's mother -- Mata Kausalya Temple.
- As a grand big Ram Temple is being build in Ayodhya, the Chhattisgarh government has also announced a slew of projects dedicated to Lord Ram in the state that will be developed as tourists spots.
- The Chhattisgarh government is now going to development all these places as tourist places as part of its Ram Vangaman path plan.
- The places will be made familiar to tourists and devotees from within the state as well.
An illuminated city of Ayodhya is seen on the eve of a groundbreaking ceremony of a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Ram in Ayodhya.
- In the first phase, the government will develop 8 of those sites that will include Sitamadi-Harchaika in Koriya district, Ramgarh in Sarguja district, Shivrinarayan in Janjgir-Champa district, Turturiya of Balodabazar-Bhatapara district, Chandkhuri of Raipur district, Rajim of Gariaband district, Sihava (Sapt Rishi Ashram) in Dhamtari district, and Jagdalpur in Bastar district, he said.
- A four-member team will be constituted to survey these eight proposed spots and work on the development of facilities such as approach road, signages, tourist facility center, Vedic village, water supply, toilets, restaurants, electricity, etc, he said.
- The project will be started off at Mata Kaushalya Mandir at Chandkhuri village of Aarang tehsil in Raipur district.
- The state government will soon allocate a budget for the project and may even seek financial assistance from the Union tourism ministry, he added.
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