AYODHYA: The temple town of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh is getting a flowery makeover to give the city a “divine look” ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit there on December 30. On Thursday, ornamental lamp posts on the median of a redeveloped road stretch called Ram Path were being wrapped with strings of orange and yellow marigolds. The tops of these lampposts have decorative elements that portray religious symbols. Numerous labourers from across the nation laboured at Ram Katha Park to painstakingly arrange the flowers into beautiful formations in preparation for Friday’s decoration.Among other patterns, the images of Lord Ram, his bow and arrow, Lord Hanuman, and religious tilaks served as inspiration for the designs used to make these decorations. Ayodhya will have a “divine look” on December 30, according to Lalit Kumar Singh, a Sitapur labourer who has been working on the floral decorations that will be used in different parts of the city. “Among the many ornamental designs I have created is a floral depiction of Lord Ram grasping his bow and arrow. About 7-8 kg of flowers and 40–45 minutes were needed, he told. These objects will be used as decorations in a variety of locations, including the airport, railway station, Dharm Path, and Ram Path.A group of labourers was busy creating floral patterns to be hung on wooden frames on a dais in Ram Katha Park. A marigold and leaf “bow and arrow” was shown in one design, while other designs featured various facets of Lord Ram’s life. According to another worker, the most common flowers used are marigold, chrysanthemum, as well as orchid and anthurium. On December 30, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to officially open the renovated Ayodhya railway station and an international airport. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement on Thursday that he will also officially open four newly redeveloped, widened, and beautified roads in Ayodhya, including Ram Path, to improve accessibility to the future Ram temple. The prime minister will be present at the consecration ceremony of the grand Ram temple that is presently being built in Ayodhya on January 22. Ayodhya is preparing for the big day as a sizable throng is anticipated to descend on the city near the consecration ceremony on January 22. Along a major thoroughfare in the holy city, a series of commanding columns known as “Surya Stambhs,” representing the sun, are being built. Large posters praising Ayodhya as a city of “Maryada, Dharm and Sanskriti” along with pictures of the new airport and the planned Ram temple have been displayed in the Uttar Pradesh temple town.
