1. Ram Temple in Ayodhya adjusts darshan timings, closing for an hour daily in the afternoon.
2. Chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das cites the need to provide rest to the deity, who is awakened at 4 am for morning rituals.
3. Changes aim to accommodate the temple’s increased footfall since its recent opening to the public.
Ayodhya, Feb 17: Less than a month after opening its doors to the public, the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has announced adjustments to its darshan timings, starting from Friday. The temple will now remain closed for an hour in the afternoon every day.
According to Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest, the temple had been conducting morning rituals since January 23, with the deity awakened at 4 am.
After the rituals, devotees were allowed darshan until 10 pm, following a two-hour break from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm.
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Explaining the reason for the change, Acharya Satyendra Das stated, “Shri Ram Lalla is a 5-year-old child and cannot endure staying awake for such extended hours. To provide rest to the child deity, the trust has decided to close the temple doors from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm, allowing the deity to rest.”
Before the consecration ceremony, the darshan timing was from 7 AM to 6 PM, with a two-hour afternoon break from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm.
However, due to the overwhelming influx of devotees, the temple trust extended the darshan timing from 6 AM to 10 PM.
In the first twelve days post-inauguration, over 2.4 million visitors graced the Ayodhya Ram Temple.
Analysts foresee the temple becoming the “world’s most sought-after” destination, anticipating an estimated five crore visitors annually.
