Temples lit ghee lamps, dressed deities as Lord Ram to mark Ayodhya event in Goa

PANAJI: Hundreds of lamps lit up the premises of several prominent temples across Goa all through Wednesday to celebrate the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Shree Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Though the temples have still not opened to devotees due to the pandemic, their managing committees ensured that the event in Ayodhya did not go unmarked.
Most temples arranged the lamps to spell out ‘Shree Ram’.
In Shiroda, the famed Shree Kamaxi Temple dressed the deity in the form of Lord Ram.
“We did ‘Ram Alankar’ or dressed Shree Kamaxi as Shree Ram. The deity is usually seated, but she was dressed to appear to be in standing position. And she was holding a bow and arrow in her hands like Lord Ram. In the ‘garbh kudi’ (sanctum sanctorum), a large ghee lamp was lit all through the day. Several lamps have also been lit in the temple premises. A special saptashatti paat and shahasra kumkumarchan was also held on this day,” said president of Shree Kamaxi Saunsthan managing committee Umesh Kamat Budkule.
The managing committee said that the lamps will light up the premises for 24 hours “as a mark of support for the historic event in Ayodhya”.
Shree Mahalaxmi Temple, Panaji, Shree Damodar Temple, Zambaulim, Shree Laxmi Narcinva Temple, Veling, Shree Mahalassa Narayani Temple, Mardol, Shree Shantadurga Temple, Kavlem and Shree Ramnath Temple, Ramnathi were the other centuries-old temples in Goa that lit up their premises with ghee lamps.
Some devotees expressed regret at not being able to celebrate the day the way they wanted due to the pandemic.