Uttar Pradesh: Shaligram stones from Nepal reach Ram Janmabhoomi Ayodhya, devotees offer prayers

Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 2 (ANI): Two Shaligram (non-anthropomorphic representations of Lord Vishnu in Hindu religion) stones dispatched from Nepal for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, reached their destination on Thursday.

The holy stones were welcomed at the Hindu god Lord Ram's birthplace by Priests and locals who decorated the boulders with garlands and offered rituals before handing over them to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The boulders are expected to be used for the construction of idols of Ram and Janaki, which will be placed in the main temple complex of the under-construction Ram Mandir.
Found only on the riverbanks of Kali Gandaki River that flows through Myagdi and Mustang districts, the Shaligrams reached Ayodhya on heavy-duty trucks from Nepal's Janakpur, the birthplace of Sita.
The Shaligrams reached Gorakhpur on Wednesday, where they were opened for devotees to offer prayers.
"There is a waterfall named Kali Gandaki in Nepal. It originates from Damodar Kund and is around 85 km north of Ganeshwar Dham Gandki. Both these boulders have been brought from there. The place is situated at a height of 6,000 feet above sea level. People even say that it is crores of years old. The two boulders weigh around 30 tonnes and 14-15 tonnes," Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, General Secretary, Champat Rai told ANI.
Nepali Congress leader and former deputy prime minister Bimalendra Nidhi, who hails from Janakpur, the birthplace of Sita, coordinated with the Janaki Temple which is sent the two stones from the Kali Gandaki River where Shaligrams are found in abundance.
The two holy stones, one weighing 18 tons and another of 16 tons, have been approved both technically and scientifically for the making of the idol, informed the Nepali officials.
Stone convoys travelled through Pipraun Girjasthan of Madhubani, Bihar, which holds religious significance, and will make night stops at two places, Muzaffarpur and Gorakhpur before reaching Ayodhya.
The Nepali leader said that Janaki Temple would later send a bow to Ram temple in Ayodhya as per the specification of the Ram temple Trust. (ANI)