Despite intense heat devotees continue to throng Ayodhya’s Shri Ram Mandir

Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 31 (ANI): Despite the ongoing heatwave in several parts of the country, there has been a significant increase in the number of devotees on Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

Devotees are spotted with umbrellas standing in a long queue and eagerly waiting for their turn to get a sight of ‘Ramlala’.

When asked, they expressed that the heat could not prevent them from seeking Ramlala’s blessings.

Arpana Vajpayee, one of the devotees, stated, “The heat is intensifying, and I would recommend everyone to bring umbrellas and dupattas to save yourselves from this heat. The administration has made adequate arrangements for all necessities inside the temple premises. It almost takes about an hour to complete the darshan, but everything is satisfying.”

An elderly man, who came alone to visit the temple, shared that the weather is extremely hot, and they are staying hydrated with lemon water (shikanji) to keep themselves energised and hydrated. He further added that he came alone and is now heading to Varanasi to participate in the final phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

Aradhana Patel, who travelled from Jabalpur to visit Ayodhya, said, “The weather is extremely hot, but we completed our darshan at the temple. The arrangements were absolutely good. Despite the large crowd, the excellent arrangements made it manageable. Overall, the experience was amazing.”

Abhishek Vajpayee, a devotee said, “The arrangements are very nice, including the provision for storing luggage. The administration has placed water stations at various places to prevent any inconvenience to the devotees. Overall, it was a wholesome experience.”

Recent data shows that post-COVID religious inclinations of Indians have become stronger, resulting in an accelerated momentum towards religious tourism.

According to the Ministry of Tourism data, last year, 8.5 crore tourists visited Varanasi (Kashi), around 4.5 crore people visited Prayagraj and more than 1.5 crore people have visited the Ayodhya Ram temple since the consecration ceremony. Many experts feel Varanasi will outdo Goa, Agra, and Shimla.”

“During the COVID period, when the temples were closed down, our Prime Minister thought, let’s make the temples a place where everybody would like to visit. So we came up with the idea of having the Kashi Vishwanath corridor. It has changed the entire tourism scenario of the state and in 2023 we had more than 10 crore tourists,” said Preeti Srivastava, Deputy Director, Department of Tourism, Government of Uttar Pradesh, to ANI.

The government of Uttar Pradesh is promoting the new golden triangle of Prayagraj, Kashi and Ayodhya as a golden triangle of religious tourism.