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Madhya Pradesh: Tight security in Orchha, revered as '2nd Ayodhya '

BHOPAL: Revered as 'second Ayodhya' because of the ancient Raja Ram temple , Orchha in Niwadi district of Madhya Pradesh was under unprecedented security in the morning, even before the guard of honour to the deity that is a daily 9am tradition.


On Saturday, devotees had to pass through a metal detector at the entrance - there wasn't one so far.

Another first - mobile phones were not allowed within the temple premises.

Narendra Tripathi, SHO of Orchha police station, located a few metres from the temple, said, "As a precautionary measure, security was strengthened on Saturday. We don't want any electronic device inside the temple. The devotees are cooperating." Additional forces were deployed in and around the temple on Saturday, he said.

The Raja Ram temple is the only one when policemen give a gun salute to the deity. It's said that no other VIP gets a guard of honour in this temple town, "where there is but one Raja".

The belief among devotees is that Lord Ram stays in Orchha during the day, before retiring to Ayodhya at night. Four times during a day, armed police constables give a guard of honour to the deity. A large number of devotees assemble in the temple to witness the ritual every day, said Rakesh Ayachi, one of the priests.

About 19km from Jhansi, Orchha is a tourist attraction. It is situated on the banks of Betwa and is 172km from Khajuraho.

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