Lucknow/Varanasi: Uttar Pradesh bathed itself in saffron and paid its tribute to Lord Ram by holding special prayers and setting up community kitchens across districts as the grand consecration ceremony of Lord Ram took place in Ayodhya on Monday.
All major roads and areas of the state capital Lucknow were decorated with saffron flags or bunting and lights, as people came out on streets to distribute prasad.
In several areas, including Hazratganj, prayers devoted were played on loudspeakers to hail the installation of the idol of Lord Ram in the still under-construction Ram Temple.
As the sun began to set, houses and markets in Lucknow were illuminated with dazzling lights and people came out to burst crackers just as they would on the Diwali night.
In Varanasi, the Parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a grand 'Ganga Maha Aarti' was organised at the Dashashwamedh Ghat in the evening.
Sushant Mishra of the Ganga Seva Nidhi said that keeping in mind the consecration, the 'Ganga Aarti' in the late evening was organised as a 'Maha Aarti'.
On usual days, the Ganga Aarti in Varanasi is performed by seven 'archakas', or priests, but today, the aarti was performed by nine archakas, he said.
Priests at Kashi Vishwanath temple marked the day with recitation of vedas.
Piyush Tiwari, the Public Relations Officer of the temple, said two LCD screens were installed in the complex for people to watch the live telecast of the 'pran pratishtha' ceremony.
The temple also saw a 'kathak' performance by the Indian Music Arts Center in the evening, he said.
The mahant of the Batuk Bhairav temple Jitendra Mohan Puri said that 5,100 lamps were lit in the temple complex on the occasion.
From 'Sunder Kand' recitals to sand art decorations, the consecration ceremony at Ayodhya's Ram temple was celebrated with great religious passion in Varanasi.
All major intersections of Mathura, home to the Krishna Janmasthan Temple, were decorated with extra lights and community kitchens set up in many parts of the city.
Inside the Radha-Krishna mandir complex, the idols were given the appearance of Lord Ram and Sita, said Kapil Sharma, secretary of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Seva Sansthan.
The idol of Krishna at the Banke Bihari temple was made to hold a bow and arrow, besides the standard flute, in a tribute to Lord Ram.
Thakur Dwarkadhish temple in the city too was decorated with lights.
A 'deepotsav', or festival of light, was held at Devraha Baba Ghat, while various cultural programmes were organised at Jugal ghat, which was decorated with a 'rangoli' made with 500 kg of flowers, said a senior district administration official.
In Prayagraj, a huge 3D rangoli featuring Ram Lalla and Ayodhya Ram Mandir, made by a group of students at the Allahabad University, was unveiled at the Vishva Hindu Parishad camp in the Magh Mela area.
The RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad's Rashtriya Kala Manch did its bit by making the 50x30 feet rangoli, using 321 kg of natural colours.
In Prayagraj, also known as the Sangam city, Sunderkand was organised at Hanumat Niketan temple located in Civil Lines area.
Sanatan Ekta Mission President Ashok Pathak said there is an atmosphere of joy and happiness in the entire Prayagraj.
In Gorakhpur, the Gorakhnath Temple was immersed in the divine aura of the Shri Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha celebration.
Amid shlokas from Ramayana, special prayers and rituals were conducted at the site of samadhi of Guru Gorakhnath, Brahmaleen Goraksha Peethadheeshwar, Mahant Digvijay Nath, and Mahant Avaidyanath.
As soon as the consecration ceremony concluded in Ayodhya in the afternoon, fireworks were set off in front of the idol of Brahmaleen Mahant Avaidyanath at the Gorakhnath Temple.
The ceremony was broadcast on a screen in the temple.
The Akshaya Foundation organised a 'Bhavanjali' programme in the Gorakhnath Temple premises.
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