Advertisement
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra has initiated the training of 20 shortlisted candidates for the position of archaks (priests) of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, starting from Wednesday. The six-month training program, conducted at the Trust’s newly constructed office, aims to prepare candidates for their responsibilities in the revered temple.
The final selection of archaks will be based on the successful completion of the training. During this period, the Trust will provide a monthly stipend of ₹2000 to candidates, along with arrangements for food and lodging in Ayodhya.
Expert teachers specializing in various subjects and Hindu theology will conduct the training. The Trust has clarified that the puja for Ram Lalla will adhere to the Ramanandi Sampradaya, with Lord Ram as its first acharya.
Last month, the Trust shortlisted 200 candidates out of 3000 applicants for the archak position, subjecting them to interviews at Karsevak Puram in Ayodhya. A panel, including Jaykant Mishra, a preacher from Vrindavan, and mahants Mithilesh Nandini Sharan and Satyanarayan Das from Ayodhya, conducted the interviews.
Upon completing the residential training, candidates will be appointed as priests and assigned various responsibilities. The newly appointed priests will complement the existing team, led by Acharya Satyendra Das, the head priest of Ram Lalla, and his four junior priests who perform daily rituals.
The Trust has also announced the formation of the Shri Ram Sewa Vidhi Vidhan Samiti, tasked with overseeing affairs related to the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla and all future religious events associated with the deity. This Samiti will prepare the religious text guiding the daily rituals of Ram Lalla.
The pinnacle of these events will be the Pran Pratishtha ceremony on January 22, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to preside, marking the enthronement of Ram Lalla in the temple’s sanctum-sanctorum.
