Priests from different temples in the US, Canada and the Caribbean came together in a virtual prayer ceremony to mark the historic occasion of the laying of the foundation stone for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on Tuesday, Aug 4. For Hindus around the world, the foundation stone laying ceremony for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is an extraordinary moment. The special circumstances created by the current pandemic prevented people from around the world to travel to Ayodhya and witness the historic event. The event was conducted by The Hindu Mandir Executive Conference, an arm of the Vishwa HIndu Parishad of America that focuses on supporting the Hindu temples. 

81 Priests from over 60 organizations in the US, Canada and Caribbean countries took part in the event. The event was coordinated by Laxmi Bhamidipati, Tejal Shah and Vallabha Tantry. I was blessed to be one of the two female priests who were part of this very auspicious event.   Ami Patel the VP of the Hindu Mandir Executive Conference served as the MCEE for the evening. The chanting commenced after a few opening remarks by  Abhaya Asthana, who is one of the founding members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America who emphasized importance of the event in Ayodhya.  “The historic Shilanyas in Ayodhya marks the ushering of a new era in the history of Bharat” said Asthana. He asked everyone to remember and honor the thousands of Ram Bhakthas who sacrificed their lives in this struggle. “This day has come with the grace of Shri Ram Lalla Himself and His Chiranjeevi Bhakt Hanuman” 

The priests from the temples chanted an invocation followed by Ram Raksha Stotra and the Bhaya Pragat. It ended with the chanting of the Shanti Mantra.  As part of the group that did the chanting I was very impressed at how well it all came together in a very short period of time. The Priests were from different schools and had different ways to do things. Some were Krishna Yajurvedis, yet others Shukla Yajurvedis. Devotion to Lord Rama brought all the priests together in a beautiful manner.

 It was exciting to listen to the discussions on how the mantras came about. For example I learned that the Ram Raksha Stotra which has only 38 verses (an unusual number)  was due to the fact that  Budha Kaushika Muni heard the Shloka in his dream. He only heard 38 verses.  Some people later decided to make it 40 by chanting the “Shri Rama Rama Rameti” verse thrice. This is the tradition that got carried into the Vishnu Sahasranamam as well where the verse is creatively interspersed.  The discussions were a joy to listen to and showcased how much knowledge is carried by traditional Priests who work in the temples. Unfortunately the language forms a barrier and perhaps not can be conveyed appropriately. 

It was also a pleasure to see the way the coordinator, Vallabha Tantry ji shepherded the program. To see how strongly she enforced her views while being extremely respectful made me think of Lord Rama Himself. 

The program the next day in Ayodhya of course was magnificent and many stayed up in the night to watch it.  I had the honor of visiting Ayodhya in February. It was extraordinary to walk the path that Lord Rama had walked. 

Rama’s travels during His Exile and His meeting almost all groups of people of His time makes all Hindus feel that Lord Rama is from their home town. It truly was a special celebration to be part of.