In anticipation of the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024, members of the Hindu American community have commenced a month-long celebration with a vibrant car rally in a suburb of Washington DC.
Gathering at the Shri Bhakta Anjaneya Temple on Ayodhya Way near Frederick City, Maryland, several community members participated in the rally to mark the momentous occasion.
Mahendra Sapa, the president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America DC chapter, expressed the significance of the celebration, stating, “After 500 years of struggle by Hindus, Bhagwan Shri Ram Mandir is being inaugurated, and so we are organizing a historic celebration of the same in the Washington, DC area on January 20 next year with about 1,000 American Hindu families.”
The month-long celebrations will feature various events, including Ram Leela, stories of Ram, Hindu prayers, bhajans (devotional songs), and a special enactment of the life of Ram by children of various ages, tailored for the understanding of those born in America.
Co-organizer Premkumar Swaminathan, a local Tamil Hindu leader, extended invitations and sang a praise song in Tamil language dedicated to Lord Rama.
Speaking about the event, he said, “The celebration will feature the enactment of the life of God Shri Ram by kids of various ages for about 45 minutes in a manner understandable to kids born in America.”
Krishna Gudipati, another organizer, invited all devotees of Shri Ram to join in the festivities, emphasizing the importance of a larger car and motorbike rally. Local Hindu leader Ankur Mishra highlighted the historical importance of the Ayodhya Mandir inauguration.
The Ram Mandir is a Hindu temple built in Ayodhya, India, at the site where the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992 by a mob claiming that it was built on the birthplace of Lord Rama. The demolition led to communal tensions and legal disputes.
The construction of the Ram temple was paved by a Supreme Court verdict in 2019, and the foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5, 2020.
