Hema Malini to perform 'Ramayana' dance drama in Ayodhya ahead of temple inauguration

Bollywood actor and BJP MP Hema Malini will showcase a dance drama in Ayodhya on the theme of Hindu epic Ramayana ahead of the temple consecration on January 22.

The 75-year-old said, "I am coming to Ayodhya for the first time during the ‘pranpratishtha’ of Ram Temple, an event awaited by people for years. On January 17, I’ll be presenting a dance drama based on Ramayana in Ayodhya Dham.”

The consecration ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Invitations for the event have been sent out to several guests in India, VVIPs, and guests from abroad.

Rituals for the 'pranpratishtha' ceremony of 'Ram Lalla' will start on January 16. A Varanasi-based priest Lakshmi Kant Dixit will perform the main rituals on January 22. The city will observe Amrit Mahotsav from January 14 to 22.

A 1008 Hundi Mahayagya has been planned, to feed thousands of devotees who come for the event.

Ayodhya is setting up tent cities to lodge these incoming devotees.

Security measures and arrangements have been beefed up to ensure smooth completion of the event.

The upcoming event has had its share of politics as well with the Congress top brass including Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge having 'respectfully' declined their invites. Meanwhile, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat said that the temple being built is a long cherished dream come true, while calling the torn-down Babri mosque 'a symbol of slavery'.

L K Advani, the BJP leader whose Rath Yatra is credited with glalvanising Hindu factions in their demand for the Ram mandir, had high words of praise for Narendra Modi. He said that the Ram temple being built was 'destiny' and Modi had been chosen to carry out this task.

Hema Malini, who represents the Mathura constittuency, officially joined the BJP in 2004.