DHANUSHA, Jan 4: Janakpurdham has dispatched 'bhar' special gifts as offerings to Ayodhya, India, in view of a consecration ceremony to take place at the Shree Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22. 

A team left Janakpurhdam on Thursday morning, carrying the special offerings for Ayodhya under the Janakpurdham-Ayodhyadham religious procession. 

Saroj Kumar Yadav, chief minister of Madhesh Province, Bimalendra Nidhi, House of Representatives (HoR) member and Nepali Congress leader, and Janaki Temple Mahantha Ram Tapeshwor Das, among others, bid farewell to the team heading for Ayodhya with the special offerings from Nepal. 

In accordance with the Maithili culture, it is customary to send offerings from the daughter's maternal home on auspicious occasions taking place in her husband's home. 

Upholding this tradition, Janakpurdham, as the maternal home of Sita, who was married to the then crown prince of Ayodhya, Ram, has sent offerings to Ayodhya on the occasion of the Shree Ram Temple inauguration.

The offerings encompass various types of jewelry, utensils, clothing and sweets, decoratively arranged in specially crafted bamboo baskets.

A team of around 300 people has left for Ayodhya with the 'Gharbasak bhar' or gifts for housewarming occasion, considering the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya as Lord Ram entering his new abode, the priest Das said. 

The team will reach Ayodhya after visiting various religious places on the way via Jaleshwarnath, Malangawa, Simraungadh, Gadhimai, Birgunj in Nepal and Betiah, Kushinagar, Siddharth Nagar and Gorakhpur of India.

The 'bhar' or gifts would be handed over to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Ram Mandir Trust in Ayodhya on January 6. 

This tradition of sending offerings is believed to further deepen the cultural ties between Nepal and India, besides reflecting the marriage culture dating back to the Treta yug (epoch) in this part of the world, said Manoj Kumar Saha, Mayor of Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan City and Patron of the Bharyatra Main Programme Committee.  

The associate Mahanta also said that this ritual will further deepen the relations between Nepal and India in existence for centuries as well as send a message throughout the world for promoting tourism in Nepal.

Before this, the holy water was sent to Ayodhya for sprinkling during the consecration ritual as part of the inauguration of the Ram Temple there. The holy water was collected from different rivers of Nepal under the leadership of the World Hindu Council Nepal. 

Two 'shila' big boulders lifted from the bank of the Kaligandaki River of Nepal were also dispatched to Ayodhya last year following the initiation of construction of the Ram Temple.

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