Ayodhya: The religious city is witnessing Sawan Jhoola Mela festivities that started on Saturday and will continue till Aug 28. Eleven tableaux reached Maniparvat from different temples on Sunday.According to administrative sources, around ten lakh devotees are present in Ayodhya. The Sawan Jhoola Mela is considered as the Mahakumbh of devotees in Ayodhya. The temple town is once again set to be soaked in devotion and faith.Special arrangements have been made for the first time during the Sawan Jhoola Mela at the Ram Temple by the Ram Temple Trust to give devotees an opportunity to perform the jhoola ritual of Ramlala, a member of the trust’s religious committee Mithilesh Nandini Sharan Acharya said.Acharya Indradev Mishra, ritual in-charge of the Ram Temple and manager of the festival at the Ram Temple, said the Jhoola of the deity of Ram Lalla will be taken to Kuber Teela during the Sawan festival due to security reasons and the ceremony of ‘Jhoolan Vihar’ will be held there. Processions of the deities from different temples of Ayodhya will be taken out daily from the respective temples and on reaching Maniparvat will turn into a cultural festival, he said. The Sawan Jhula has been decorated in more than 5,000 temples of Ayodhya, he added.Though there are over 5,000 small and big temples in Ayodhya, the splendour of this festival will especially be worth seeing in prominent temples such as Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, Kanak Bhawan, Raja Dashrath Ji ka Mahal, Asharfi Bhawan, Ram Vallabha Kunj, Divya Kala Kunj, Biahuti Bhawan, Rang Mahal, Janaki Mahal, Raj Sadan, Roop Kala Kunj and Maniram Das Ji ki Chhavani.On Monday, lakhs of devotees will gather at Ayodhya’s Nageshwar Nath Temple on Naag Panchami. Security has been tightened in Ayodhya for the festival and surveillance is being carried out through drones. The entire area has been divided into six zones and 29 sectors. Police have been assigned duties in two shifts. SP, city, Chakrapani Tripathi said. “Adequate force, including women personnel, has been deployed. PAC, RAF, ATS commandos and SDRF teams are available. There will be special focus on Maniparvat,” he added.. Special attention will be on traffic arrangement, crowd control and emergency services.SSP Gaurav Grover said that surveillance will be maintained through CCTV cameras. “Convenience and security of devotees are our priority,” he added.
