Ayodhya: Booking to avail 'aarti' passes for Ram Temple begins

Ayodhya: The booking for obtaining 'aarti' passes kicked off on Thursday at the Ram Janmobhoomi temple ahead of the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22.
Aartis are performed three times a day (6:30 am, 12 pm, 7:30 pm) for Lord Ram Lalla for which passes are generated for the devotees, the section manager for 'Aarti pass', Dhruvesh Mishra, said.
"At Ram Janmabhoomi, aarti is held three times a day for Lord Ram Lalla -- at 6.30 in the morning, at noon and in the evening at 7.30. In the morning, Sringar aarti takes place, which is followed by Bhog aarti in the afternoon and Sandhya aarti in the evening. Only pass-holders can attend the three aartis," Mishra told ANI on Thursday.
On the number of people who can attend an 'aarti' at one time, Mishra said, "Right now, only 30 people are allowed to attend each aarti with a pass. This number could be increased as per the number of devotees in future."
On the reasons for the limited number of devotees for the 'aarti' ritual, Mishra said, "We have a limited number of passes for now for the sake of protection of the temple premises and security reasons."
On whether the passes could be generated free of cost, the section manager said, "The service is the same for all the devotees, whether elderly or young, poor or rich."
Mishra said the online facility for generating the 'aarti' passes started a few days ago. Devotees can generate their passes online, collect them from the counter at Ayodhya and proceed for the 'aarti', he said.
"The online facility started a few days back. One can apply for the aarti pass on the official portal of the Ram Janmaboomi temple. A time limit has been allotted for the same. Devotees can generate their passes online, receive it there and then head straight for the 'aarti'," Mishra said.
On the documents needed for getting the 'aarti' passes, the manager said, "Only four documents are admissible for generating the aarti pass. These are Aadhar card, voter ID, driving licence and passport. Of these, the devotees are required to carry just one. They can show it to the official after receiving their aarti passes."
The grand consecration ceremony of Lord Ram Lalla is scheduled for January 22 next year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address attendees at the grand event from the front of the 'Singh Dwar', the main entrance to the temple, sources said earlier on Thursday.
According to sources, lakhs of devotees are likely to pour into the temple town for the January 22 consecration.