As the Ram Mandir consecration event on January 22 approaches, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is heightening the nation's anticipation by touring historic temples in South India.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister visited the revered Veerabhadra temple in Andhra Pradesh, which holds immense significance in the Ramayana due to its association with the Jatayu episode.
During his visit, PM Modi offered special prayers at the temple, situated in Sri Satyasai district.
He recited songs praising Lord Ram, listened to special hymns sung in Telugu that extolled the deity, and enjoyed a puppet show depicting the epic Ramayana characters—Ram, Lakshman, Sita, and Ravana. These details were revealed through live visuals streamed on an official YouTube channel.
The temple's connection to the Ramayana stems from the ancient scriptures, where the bird king Jatayu, who valiantly fought with Ravana to rescue Goddess Sita after her abduction, fell at Lepakshi after his wings were clipped off by the demon king.
When Lord Rama discovered Jatayu in this helpless state, he exclaimed, “Le-Pakshi,” which in Telugu means “Oh Bird...Arise.”
In his dying moments, Jatayu informed Lord Ram that Sita was indeed taken south by Ravana, and he was then granted Moksha (salvation) by him. This is how the place came to be known as “Lepakshi.”
The ancient Lepakshi temple and the monolithic gigantic Nandi statue found here were added to UNESCO's tentative list of world heritage sites in India in 2022.
With the Prime Minister's visit, locals are hopeful that it will soon receive the world heritage site designation.
In the lead-up to the Ram Mandir inauguration event, PM Modi has been visiting temples across the country. Before Lepakshi, he had visited the Shree Kala Ram temple in Nashik, Maharashtra.
A few days ago, he visited Panchvati on the banks of the Godavari river in Nashik, offering prayers at the Kala Ram Mandir and listening to Marathi verses about the "Ayodhya aagman" (arrival in Ayodhya) of Lord Ram from the Ramayana.