Ayodhya Ram Mandir: Devotee from Navi Mumbai offers 7-feet long sword to Lord Ram

Ayodhya Ram Mandir. File Pic/PTI

A devotee from Maharashtra presented a 7 feet 3 inches long sword to Lord Ram in Ayodhya Ram Mandir. The sword weighs 80 kilograms, reported news agency ANI.

The present highlights the deep devotion and reverence held for Lord Ram by his followers. The Ayodhya Ram Mandir is receiving numerous and exclusive gifts from its devotees across India as part of their prayer offerings.

One of the devotees, Nilesh Arun Sakar who came with the sword from Navi Mumbai, speaking with ANI said, "I am a collector of historical weapons. I have held exhibitions of my weapons at many places. Today I brought a Khadag (sword) similar to the Nandak Khadag (sword of Lord Vishnu) to dedicate it to Lord Ram. The special feature of this sword is that it weighs 80 kg and is 7 feet 3 inches long."

Further speaking on the present he said, "If you will look closely, you will find that the Khadak has been made with a dedication to Lord Vishnu Narayan and all his 'Dashavatara' have been incorporated. The blade of the sword is made of steel and the handle is made of brass with a gold covering on it."

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Dashavatara refers to the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu, the Hindu god of preservation. The word Dashavatara derives from dasa, meaning 'ten' and avatar (avatara), means 'descent'. Lord Vishnu is said to descend in the form of an avatar to restore cosmic order, the devotees believe.

Sakar further said that it took him one and a half months to make the 7-feet long sword dedicated to Lord Ram.

Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram was completed on Monday, January 22 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as per Hindu rituals. The event saw the participation of about 8,000 invitees, including around 1,600 eminent guests.

The consecration of Ram Lalla has significantly boosted the number of visitors, turning Ayodhya into a focal point of pilgrimage. Over 5 lakh people embraced the opportunity for darshan on the first day after the Pran Pratistha ceremony, ANI report said.

The Ayodhya Ram Mandir was opened to public for visiting from Tuesday, January 23. Since then, Ayodhya is witnessing a massive gathering of devotees. Braving severe cold coupled with fog, pilgrims stood in long queues around Rampath and the temple premises.

Seeing the extensive numbers of visitors, the authorities in Ayodhya have deployed heavy police force including Rapid Action Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Uttar Pradesh police personnel and other forces to ensure crowd management. The police are ensuring that the devotees thronging the Ram Mandir complex do not face inconvenience.