Uddhav Thackeray was quoted by ANI as saying, “The birth anniversary of Bala Saheb falls on January 23. But since the consecration ceremony of the Ayodhya Ram Temple is going to be held on January 22, the Shiv Sena will perform a ‘Maha Aarti’ on that day at the bank of the Godavari River in Nasik.”

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Thackeray, who has not been invited to the grand consecration ceremony, said, “We do not want to indulge in matter of who has got the invitation and who has not.” He added, “When the consecration ceremony will be held in Ayodhya, at the same time, we will participate by offering prayers at the Kala Ram Temple in Nasik. On the same day, we will hold party’s conference in Nasik itself.”

Nasik’s Kala Ram Temple is dedicated to Lord Ram. It is believed that Lord Ram stayed here in Panchvati with wife Sita and brother Laksham during their exile (‘Vanvaas’), ANI reported.

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BJP Vs Shiv Sena (UBT) over Ram Mandir ceremony

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena (UBT) earlier engaged in a war of words, with Thackeray saying that he had not been invited for the ceremony. 

“First, I have not received any invitation. Second, I don’t need an invitation to go there. Ram Lalla is not a party’s property, he belongs to everyone. I just want that this event not to be politicised…This decision was given by the Supreme Court, not the government,” Thackeray was quoted as saying on Saturday.

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Meanwhile, Union Minister Narayan Rane said that Uddhav Thackeray should not attend the consecration ceremony. “Uddhav is crazy, he has no right to speak about the Ram Temple. What was he doing all these years? and now he’s having a stomach-ache. Such people should not go to see the Ram Temple. It is a sacred place, and such crazy people should not go there,” Rane added. 

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Vedic rituals for the Pran-Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony of Ram Lalla (infant Lord Ram) in Ayodhya will begin on January 16, a week before the main ceremony. A priest from Varanasi, Lakshmi Kant Dixit, will perform the main rituals of the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22. From January 14 to January 22, Ayodhya will mark the Amrit Mahotsav.

(With inputs from ANI)

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Published: 06 Jan 2024, 10:19 PM IST