File photo of a procession with Lord Ram's cutout.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Ayodhya: With the consecration ceremony a couple of days away, the whole of Ayodhya is steeped in religious spirit. A new branch of a PSU bank that opened on Thursday in a building along the Ram Path here has been named the 'Ramjanmabhoomi' branch.
A redeveloped road that skirts its way off Ram Path, on the way to the Ram temple site, has been named Ramjanmabhoomi Path.
The bank's branch office, located in the vicinity, has been beautified with ornate lampposts and canopies with claddings on the side walls while a huge banner mounted on the wall bears an imposing image of the Ram temple along with the bank's name.
Near the redeveloped Ayodhya Dham railway station, another PSU bank has set up a huge hoarding that reads 'Ayodhya Nagari mey aapka swagat hai'. It depicts silhouettes of the Ram temple, the city skyline and Lord Ram holding his bow.
The devotion to the deity is such that even commerce is not untouched by the spiritual feel in the holy city. Images of the grand temple is finding places even on visiting cards, posters, calendars and even signages.
Practically every company putting up posters in the city has depicted the Ram Temple in one way or the other.
In front of the new railway station building, an advertising firm has put up a call for hiring the space. But it is not an ordinary advertising space, as it contains a graphic image of Lord Ram and the new temple with a hashtag of '#AyodhyaKiGarima'.
Inside the food plaza of the building, an image of the temple adorns a poster behind the counter. Next to it, there is also a poster bearing an image of Lord Ram.
"Entire Ayodhya -- temples, buses, streets and even mobile phone caller tunes -- is getting 'Rammay' (immersed in the spirit of Lord Ram)," said Ajitesh Shukla, who works at a guest house located near Asharfi Bhawan.
Public sector undertaking BSNL has mounted a poster welcoming people to 'Prabhu Sri Ram ki Pawan Nagari Ayodhya', near a wall next to the Ramjanmabhoomi Path.
But it is not just the main thoroughfare like the Ram Path which is dotted with such banners or posters. The image of the temple adorns the boards of almost all shops as well as the lobby spaces of hotels and lodges.
Prabharaj Palace, a lodge that opened a couple of months ago in the Begumpura area, has mounted a banner-size poster of the Ram temple in its lobby.
"Once the temple design became public, it caught the fancy of many people," Deepak, a managerial staff at the lodge told PTI. At its lobby counter, a UPI payment barcode panel also carries a graphic design depicting the 'Ram ki Paidi'.
Saryu Lodge, located near Asharfi Bhawan, has also embraced the spirit of Lord Ram, quite literally.
Pundarik Gupta, the proprietor of the lodge, points to the bow and arrow-themed lighting on its rooftop as he warms himself by a bonfire at night. 'Jai Shri Ram' glows at night and one can see it even from a long distance.
His business card carries the image of the new Ram temple and anyone calling him over the mobile phone can hear the tune 'Ram Aaye Hain Ayodhya Mein'.
The Golaghat road, running in front of his lodge, has a row of thematic lamp posts, carrying a bow and arrow design on top, and 'Ram' (in Hindi) embossed at its base segment.
Along the Ram Path, where saffron flags bearing images of Lord Ram and the temple are on sale, the Uttar Pradesh government and other organisations have put up huge banners depicting the Ram temple along with photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Even the private firms, wanting to cash in the religious fervour of the city, have put up posters in the city, carrying the image of the temple, the company's name and logo, with messages like 'Aapka Ayodhya Nagari Mey Swagat karta hai'.