Ahead of the completion of Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir, scheduled for 2024, the padukas (footwear) of Lord Ram which will be installed at the temple upon its completion are currently on a tour across the UK attracting thousands of devotees for their darshan (auspicious sight).
The tour has covered several cities in the UK and will make a number of further stops in the coming days before returning to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradash for pratishtha (establishment) in January next year.
It is believed that the Shri Ram Padukas represent Ram Rajya (Lord Ram’s kingdom) and having the opportunity to pray to them is said to bring peace, tranquillity, and positive thoughts to all who have their darshan. Weighing 12 kilograms, the padukas are made of silver and are decorated with precious stones like rubies and emeralds as well as intricately carved decorations.
Recently, the padukas were welcomed at the Gita Bhavan Hindu temple in Manchester with a colourful ceremonial procession, followed by abhishekam and archana (sacred oblations), and bhajans and aarti (devotional singing). The event in Manchester was organised by the Greater Manchester Malayalee Hindu Community (GMMHC) and was awaited with much excitement in the days leading up to it. Despite being on a weekday evening, the occasion welcomed nearly 200 devotees eager to get a glimpse of the padukas.
After the main event, devotees were able to pay their respects to the padukas individually and a mahaprasad (offering) meal was also organised.
In the coming days, the padukas will cover temples in London, Birmingham, Newcastle and Leicester until October 16.
So far, nearly fifteen thousand devotees have attended various events across the UK, with many more expected to attend the upcoming events.
In Sage Valmiki’s ‘Ramayana’, it is recorded that Ram Rajya implies that there is no person who is without wealth, there is no person without good health, there is no person without ornaments on their body, there is no person without good food, there is no person who is not educated, there is no person who does not own a house.
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