From Nepal waterfall to Ayodhya - All you need to know about Shaligram stones sent for Ram Mandir idols
1 min read . Updated: 02 Feb 2023, 11:57 AM IST
PremiumThe boulders - weighing around 30 tonnes and 14-15 tonnes - are expected to be used for the construction of Ram and Janaki idols.
Two massive Shaligram stones from the Gandaki river bank in Nepal have been brought to Ayodhya for construction of idols in the Ram Temple. The boulders - weighing around 30 tonnes and 14-15 tonnes - are expected to be used for the construction of Ram and Janaki idols.
“There is a waterfall named Kali Gandaki in Nepal. It originates from Damodar Kund and is around 85 km north of Ganeshwar Dham Gandki. Both these boulders have been brought from there. The place is situated at a height of 6,000 feet above sea level. People even say that it is crores of years old," Champat Rai, the general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, had told news agency ANI earlier this week.
Trust officials said that the two rocks in the Gandaki river at a place close to Saligrama or Muktinath (place of salvation) in Nepal's Mustang district and are believed to be 60 million-years-old. Idol of Lord Rama in his child form carved from this stone will be placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple.
"I have heard that the stone of Gandaki is called Shaligram, which is considered a form of Lord Vishnu. When the black Gandaki stone comes from Nepal to Bihar, it is called Narayani," he added.
The consignment was accompanied from Nepal by several officials including Vishwa Hindu Parishad's national secretary Rajendra Singh Pankaj. The boulders reached India by January 31, setting off for Ayodhya by road after a break and some rituals. Visuals suggest that many had come out onto the streets to worship the boulders as they passed through the area.
"It took around three hours to complete the distance of 40-45 km in Bihar," said Rai.
Following the arrival of the Shaligram stones in Ayodhya, devotees willing to worship them have been asked to reach Ramsevak Puram by 10.30 pm. Ram Katha Kunj in Ramsevak Puram is an old workplace of the Ram Mandir.
(With inputs from agencies)
