Ram Mandir consecration: In a first, Gita Press faces shortage as demand for Ramcharitmanas spikes

The Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony is slated to be held in Ayodhya on January 22 and it will be graced by the presence of the who’s who of the country, celebrities and politicians alike

Ahead of the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the demand for Ramcharitmanas has increased manifold. This has led to a stock shortage at Gorakhpur’s Gita Press for the first time in the past 50 years. According to media reports, the demand for Hanuman Chalisa and Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta has also increased in the run-up to the ceremony.

A trustee of the press has reportedly said that due to the spike in demand for Ramcharitmanas, they have exhausted their entire stock but are trying to publish more to keep up with the demand.

The Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony is slated to be held in Ayodhya on January 22 and it will be graced by the presence of the who’s who of the country, celebrities and politicians alike.

Also read: PM Modi begins 11-day special rituals ahead of Ram temple consecration

To ensure safety, the Uttar Pradesh Police has installed over 10,000 CCTV cameras and will deploy drones in Ayodhya on the day of the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple.

Anti-drone system has also been installed to take control of any unauthorised drone in the vicinity, SP Security Gaurav Vanswal said. DG (law and order) Prashant Kumar said over 10,000 CCTV cameras have been installed in Ayodhya district. Apart from this, modern technical equipment has also been deployed to help the police force.

However, several top Congress leaders have openly declared their sentiments against attending the ceremony, stating it’s an “RSS-BJP event” and that it violates some religious diktats.

The four Shankaracharyas, who serves as the religious heads of significant Hindu shrines, are also currently divided in their stance on attending the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22. Expressing their disagreement and citing a departure from the sacred Hindu scriptures or shastras, the heads of the four prominent shrines (peeths) located in Joshimath (Uttarakhand), Dwarka (Gujarat), Puri (Odisha) and Sringeri (Karnataka) have declared their decision not to participate in the ceremony.

(With agency inputs)