Kartik Purnima: Devotees take holy dip amid high security in Ayodhya

A large number of devotees began taking a holy dip in the Sarayu river on Kartik Purnima amid tight security in Ayodhya on Tuesday, the first religious congregation in the temple town since the judgement in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Barbi Masjid case.

People began flocking to the ghats since early the hours amid chants of “Sita Ram” playing on loudspeakers in the streets, while many devotees who came from neighbouring districts in Uttar Pradesh camped overnight near the river.

“I took the holy dip at 2 am. I have been coming here every Kartik Purnima for the last 20 years,” said Kolhai, a farmer who came from a village in Gorakhpur.

“The feeling of taking a holy dip on this day is totally divine. That is why we come here,” the 62-year-old said. “And, this time, it is more special as the Supreme Court verdict has just paved the way for building a temple for our Ram Lalla.”

Settling a fractious issue that goes back more than a century, the Supreme Court in a historic verdict on Saturday backed the construction of a Ram temple by a trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for a mosque in the holy town.

This being the first Kartik Purnima since the landmark judgement, local authorities have made all arrangements amid a high security alert in the city.

Kartik Purnima or the night of the full moon of Kartik month of the Hindu calendar falls 15 days after Diwali, the night of Kartik Amavasya.

Devotees from various districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Barabanki, Sultanpur, Gonda and Bahraich, flock to Ayodhya every year on this festive season for a massive religious congregation on the banks of Sarayu.

For the devotees, arrangements have been made at the river banks, the main ghats being Ram Ki Paidi, Naya Ghat and Guptar Ghat, where water level is sufficient, said Murlidhar Singh, the deputy director of information of Ayodhya Division.

“The auspicious period for the holy dip began at 5.34 pm on Monday and will go on till 6.42 pm on Tuesday,” he told PTI. “We are expecting lakhs of people to converge on this occasion. Adequate security arrangements have been made to ensure nothing untoward happens as it is a sensitive time post the judgement.”

The ghats have been divided into four zones and about 20 sectors within each zone, resulting in a total of 80 sectors, he said.