Hundreds of devotees carrying tilak marched from Janaki Temple towards Ayodhya

Hundreds of Hindu devotees carrying ritual gifts called tilak started religious march from Janaki Temple of Janakpurdham in Southern Nepal on Saturday heading towards Ayodhya in India. There were more than 400 people including the chief priest of Janaki Temple, Ram Roshan Das in the procession, informed Kishori Shah, deputy Mayor of Janakpurdham Sub-metropolitan City.

They carried hundreds of utensils called bhar consisting of sweets, fruits, dry fruits and clothes in dozens of cars, jeeps and trucks from the bride to the bride groom symbolizing Ram – Janaki marriage. The tilak is being carried to Ayodhya symbolizing invitation to their in-laws in Ayodhya, the capital city of Ram. They will stop over at Gadhimai in Bara, a border city of Nepal for a night hault and expected to reach Ayodhya on Monday. A special ritual called Tilakotsav will be performed at Ram Mandir in Ayodhya as soon as the procession reach there, according to Deputy Mayor Shah.

In response to this a grand procession from Ayodhya will arrive in Janakpurdham, Nepal to celebrate the Bivaha Panchami festival, which falls on December 6. The festival is observed to commemorate the wedding of Ram and Sita, which is believed to take place thousands of years ago during Treta Yuga. The wedding procession consists of around 500 Sadhus from Ayodhya to Janaki Temple.

On December 6, to mark Bivaha Panchami hundreds of thousands of people will arrive from India to Janakpurdham to make offerings at Janaki temple. Some 500,000 devotees are expected to throng in Janakpurdham on the occasion. This event is also important for Nepal from tourism point of view as a large number of tourists will visit Janakpurdham.