Indians in Israel organise puja to celebrate Ram temple consecration, feed 300 people

Tel Aviv, Jan 23 (PTI) Several hundred Indians, mostly from Telengana, have organised a puja ceremony to celebrate the grand consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The cultural event, which included participants singing bhajans and kirtans, was organised by the Telengana Association in Israel at the Beit Dani Hall in Tel Aviv on Saturday, preceding the consecration event in Ayodhya on Monday.

Some 300 people were also served Indian food on the occasion, the organisers told PTI.

An idol of the new Ram Lalla was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple on Monday, a landmark event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who also gave a clarion call to go beyond the grand mandir’s construction to build the foundation of a “strong, capable and divine” India of the next 1,000 years.

Lakhs of people across the globe watched the ‘pran pratishtha (consecration)’ ceremony on television in their homes and neighbourhood temples, savouring the historic moment.

“Every Hindu heart on earth was waiting for this wonderful moment, which has finally come true. An indescribable joy because I didn’t think this would happen during my lifetime,” Ravi Soma, the president of the Telengana Association in Israel, told PTI.

The event was coordinated by Dodle Swami from Telengana who acted as the chief organiser.

Some of the participants in the event said this was among one of the largest Indian events in Israel “arranged in almost no time” with “unseen enthusiastic response” from the community.

There are nearly 20,000 Indians living in Israel.