Ashish Shelar: Special train to Ayodhya from Mumbai next year

Ashish Shelar/ File Photo

Mumbai Bharatiya Janata Party chief Ashish Shelar on Tuesday said that a "special" train to Ayodhya, from the city, will be operational after January 24 next year for Mumbaikars to visit the newly-built Ram Temple, stated a PTI report.

According to the report, the consecration ceremony for the Ayodhya temple is scheduled on January 22, 2024.

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Shelar, while speaking at a function on Tuesday, said Mumbaikars will be able to board the special train from Dadar which will go to Ayodhya for Lord Ram's "darshan".

Earlier in July, it was reported that hotels in Uttar Pradesh were witnessing a surge in bookings by travel agents and devotees as the consecration ceremony of Lord Ram's idol at the Ram Janmabhoomi approached. Back then the exact date was not yet known, however, the bookings between Jan 15 to 24 still saw a surge.

Hoteliers and resort owners in Ayodhya had said they anticipate a significant influx of devotees with some groups aiming to book rooms for 10-12 days to ensure attendance at the historic event.

Preempting the rush, Divisional Commissioner Gaurav Dayal advised Ayodhya hotel owners to prepare for the surge, instructing them to decorate their spaces warmly for the ceremony. "We've received calls from major cities like Delhi and Mumbai for two-week room bookings," Sharad Kapoor, managing director of Ayodhya's oldest hotel, Shan-E-Awadh had told PTI then. He had stated that he reserved 40% of rooms for senior police and administration officials due to their continued cooperation during the Ram Janambhoomi movement.

Sangram Singh, a resort owner, also revealed that he received a query for 1,500 rooms for a week from a Mumbai-based agency but expressed uncertainty due to the ceremony's unclear date.

Regarding the temple's progress, the chairman of the temple construction committee Nripendra Mishra had mentioned the likely opening for devotees on January 24 after a 10-day ritual for the consecration of the Ram Lalla idol.

There were speculations then that January 22 was the potential date for the idol's consecration, deemed auspicious by consulted astrologers as announced later.

With PTI inputs