Vidya Sethuraman
India Post News Service
Marking the historic day in Indian history when Ram Mandir was inaugurated in Ayodhya on Monday (January 22), the thousands of Indian diaspora gathered at Fremont Hindu temple and illuminated the iconic place to celebrate the Pran Pratishtha ceremony in the temple town.
The Fremont Hindu temple celebrated the Ram Lalla pran pratishta program for 21 days starting January 1 through Sunday, January 21, 2024 with Ram Bhajans and Priti Bhoj every day. On Jan 21, over three thousand devotees thronged the mandir and joined in the havan, bhajans and live streaming of the mandir inauguration.
Bhajans were performed by Bay Area Renowned singers Alka Bhatnagar, Praveen Chadha, Sanjay Sen, Manisha Pathak and many others. The temple management has decided to celebrate Jan 21 (Jan 22 in Bharat) as Maha Deepawali.
Proud to be host of a Historic Celebrations of Ayodhya Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha in Fremont Hindu Temple. Over 4,000 devotees attended with unbelievable enthusiasm, energy and passion in traditional processes of Maha Sankalpa, Diya Lighting, Bhajans and Preetibhoj.
Thousands of miles away from Ayodhya and Bharat, Hindus feel blessed and empowered spiritually, culturally and Civilizationally!!! Hindus worldwide are ready to pivot into a new Era of Treta Yug where expectations of Ram Rajya will prevail. Values and Principles of Satya (Truthfulness), Samanta (Equality) and Niyay (Justice) will lead to Peace and Prosperity for all (Loka Samasta sukhino bhavantu)!!! My appeal to Hindus worldwide is to derive inspiration and energy from this Renaissance and unite and work towards empowering Democracy with principles and values of Ram Rajya, said Dr Romesh Japra, Founder and Chairman, Fremont Hindu temple.
“One can imagine the happiness and celebrations People of Ayodhya must have felt when Bhagwan Ram returned after 14 years. The return of Bhagwan Ram in Ayodhya has happened after over 500 years and tremendous struggle and sacrifices of many.
Our happiness, that we have witnessed a once in a lifetime event, is so immense that it is difficult to find words. A new era has started in India and the globe. Hindus have once again achieved the glory that we deserved. This, in my opinion, was possible due to the strong leadership of PM Modi and his team.
Without political empowerment this could not have been achieved. We American Hindus have to achieve political empowerment here to safeguard our justified and universal interests.”, said Rajesh Verma, Co-Chairman, Fremont Hindu temple.
In our Fremont Hindu Temple of Silicon Valley, California, during the Pran Pratishtha Celebrations of Prabhu Shri Ram Ji in Ayodhya, Bharat it really looked like we were actually in Ayodhya! Our Temple has completed 40+ Years here but we have not seen this kind of ocean of Devotees attending the festivities in the Temple before.
In spite, of Parking Lots being overfilled, continuous Rain, bad weather etc. all the Devotees were seen happily enjoying the Festivities with patience. It looked as if Maryada Purushotam Shri Ramji’s all the Qualities and Principles, had already entered in them. All the Hindus lit Five Diyas and celebrated Maha Deepavali here to welcome Prabhu Shri Ramji. This is truly an Era of Hindu Resurrection , said Chandru Bhambhra, CFO and Trustee, FHT.
As a part of a family of karsevaks, I feel incredibly fortunate to have witnessed the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in my lifetime. It’s akin to hitting the jackpot – a testament to the hard work and sacrifices of our ancestors, a reward we are now privileged to witness. Amazed to witness a vast gathering of Ram Bhakts at Fremont Hindu Temple despite the adverse weather. Kudos to all the volunteers who managed such a large crowd seamlessly, said Rohit Sharma, HSS.
The Ram Mandir inauguration symbolizes a civilizational re-construction of the Ayodhya Temple. Let us honor the faith that never wavered and the sacrifices made to bring about this historic day. I pray that everyone will find hope at the Ram Mandir. The celebrations at the Fremont Hindu temple far exceeded my expectations.
The thousands of devotees that came to attend was simply overwhelming and shows how many saw this as an iconic moment of immense pride and representation of their enduring faith and beliefs. So many commented that they considered themselves fortunate to have seen something like this in their lifetime, said Yogi Chugh, Community leader.
It was as if Ayodhya was right here in Fremont…so much was the passion, festivity, devotion and love all around! Communities all across the Bay Area joined to celebrate the reclaiming, what is rightfully ours! Today’s event also symbolizes resistance of all indigenous cultures! Sacrifices made by Millions of Karsevaks, devotees, indefinite legal battle, political willingness and what not.
A monumental civilizational moment and blessed to Witness it in our lifetime. Fremont Temple was Epicenter of expression of all those emotions, said Judhajit Senmazumdar, Co-convenor West Bengal BJP, Videsh Bibhag and Chairman of FOG Bengal.
I never thought I would witness this once in a lifetime celebration of the homecoming of Bhagwan Shri Ram after a wait of 500 years and the consecration ceremony. As a devotee of Fremont Temple for over 30 years I was elated to see the Temple taking great care of the celebrations lasting for 21 days culminating in lighting of 1000 diyas and the live streaming consecration ceremony, said Gaurang Desai, Community leader.
