Haldwani: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday called Lord Shri Ram the soul of the country, adding that he has an "unbroken connection" with Uttarakhand.
While addressing the Ramotsav program organised in Haldwani, Dhami said, "Lord Shri Ram has an unbroken connection with Uttarakhand. The origin of the Saryu River, on the banks of which Lord Shri Ram's father and Maharaj Dashrath performed the ritual to have a child, is in Bageshwar district. When he returned to Ayodhya after the burning of Lanka and became Maryadapurushottam King Ramchandra, he performed Pitru Yagya in the Raghunath temple of Devprayag to avert the killing of arrogant Ravana."
The Chief Minister said that Ram is the soul of the country. It is a matter of pride for us that Ramlila is being staged in Ayodhya these days; it is being performed by the artists of Devbhoomi. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath himself has admitted that the best Ramlila in the country is from Uttarakhand.
CM Dhami said that the glory of Lord Shri Ram is infinite; Ram is also of Maharishi Valmiki; Ram is of Kevat; Ram is of Shabari; Ram is of Nishadraj; Ram is of Vibhishan; and Ram is also of Sugriva and Hanuman.
"Ram is yours too, Ram is ours too. Ram belongs to everyone, that is why he is Maryada Purushottam Lord Ram. Lord Shri Ram is our ideal, whose activities are exemplary in human life. Despite being in the form of Brahma himself, he incarnated for all of us in human form and presented an example of how the life of a man of good character should be," the Chief Minister said.
"For Lord Ram, I can only say that Ram is the soul of the country; respect, greeting, worship, dialogue and sympathy. Ram belongs to the country and the country belongs to Ram," he added.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of the Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya, which will be held on January 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla at the grand temple on that day. As per temple officials, the ceremony will be held for seven days starting on January 16.
A team of priests led by Lakshmikant Dixit will perform the main rituals of the pran prathistha of Ram Lalla on January 22. —ANI
