With just two days left for the ‘pran-pratishtha’ ceremony on January 22, a bookseller offered the world’s most expensive and unique Ramayana at the Ram temple in the holy city of Ayodhya. Priced at ₹1.65 lakh, the special edition of the Ramayana is also being described as the ‘most beautiful’.

The bookseller, Manoj Sati, can be seen explaining the details of the Ramayana, a holy book written by Valmiki depicting the life story of Lord Ram, in a video posted by news agency ANI. According to him, the book features three boxes designed to resemble the Ram temple – mirroring the temple’s three floors.

The paper used for the book is made in France and is an acid-free patented paper. The cover of the book is made from an imported material, while the ink used in it has been imported from Japan. Meanwhile, the wood used for its design is American walnut wood and saffron.

The book, weighing 45 kg, can last for over 400 years, Sati said. “The book can be read over by four generations,” he said.

“We have reached here with our beautiful Ramayana in the tent city of Ayodhya. It has so many qualities and is the world’s most expensive Ramayana. You can say the most beautiful Ramayana is in Ayodhya,” the bookseller said as quoted by ANI.

He added, “The motive behind the beautiful and attractive design is that one gets to see a different design on each page.”

Ram Temple consecration ceremony

The much-awaited consecration ceremony of the Ram temple is set to take place on January 22, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest. Thousands of people including saints, politicians, and celebrities have been invited to the grand event.

According to the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust, a team of priests led by Lakshmikant Dixit will lead the main rituals on Monday.

Meanwhile, the seven-day Vedic rituals leading to the main consecration ceremony began on Tuesday in Ayodhya. On Saturday, the fifth day of the rituals, the sanctum sanctorum where the idol of Lord Ram has been installed will be washed with the holy water of Saryu. This will be followed by ‘Vaastu shanti’ and ‘Annadhivas’ rituals. Earlier on Friday, the holy fire was lit as part of the ‘Aranimantha’ by rubbing two planks of wood with the help of a cloth to begin the ‘Yagya’ – which will remain ‘akhand’ (continuous) until the consecration ceremony.

The temple will lay open to the public from January 23 onwards.

(With inputs from ANI)