The Ram Mandir Pran Prathishtha will take place on January 22, 2024. The entire country awaits this 500-year-long dream to come to fruition. As we count down to D-day, several stories of Aastha and tapas were revealed by netizens on various social media platforms. Here is a compilation of those stories of vows taken by Ram bhakts across the country that will leave you teary-eyed by the end of it, that will help us understand to some extent (at least) the depth of the faith/Aastha that the people of this sacred land called Bharat have in their hearts for their beloved Bhagawan Ram. 

This list is in no specific order since each tapas; each vow carries the same weightage because it is filled with faith for Ram. 

The Suryavanshi Thakurs – vow of not wearing pagdi

For nearly 500 years, the Suryavanshi Thakurs of Uttar Pradesh, who are said to be descendants of Bhagawan Ram’s lineage, upheld a vow taken by their ancestors. Following the destruction of an ancient Ram temple by Babur’s commander, Mir Baqi, the warriors vowed not to wear a pagdi (turban), leather shoes, or use umbrellas until the Ram Janmabhoomi site was liberated. Passed down through generations, the pledge involved about 90,000 warriors. With the consecration of Ram Lalla’s murti at the new Ram Mandir on January 22, the descendants are set to fulfill their ancestors’ vow, symbolised by wearing the pagdi for the first time in centuries. After eight generations, Vanshraj Singh fulfills the ancestral vow by donning the turban, the ceremonial duty of putting on the pagdi on his grandfather’s head was done by Ayush Suryawanshi. 

Mauni Mata – Vow of silence

Saraswati Devi, an 85-year-old woman from Jharkhand, is set to end her 32-year-long vow of silence on January 22 during the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Initiated in 1992 after the Babri Masjid demolition, Devi pledged to break her silence only when the Ram Temple became a reality. Popularly known as “Mauni Mata” in Ayodhya, she communicated through sign language or writing. After the demise of her husband, Devkinandan Agarwal, in 1986, Saraswati Devi, a mother of eight, dedicated her life to Bhagawan Ram. Family members and neighbours revealed that she predominantly engaged in pilgrimages. In 2001, she undertook a seven-month-long penance, or “tapasya,” at Madhya Pradesh’s Chitrakoot, a significant site linked to Ram’s 14-year exile. 

Giving up regular meals

Satyadev Sharma from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, took a vow 21 years ago that he would only eat a proper meal once the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya was completed. Operating an old-age home, Sharma had a dream 21 years ago where Bhagwan Shivji conveyed that the temple wouldn’t be built. He committed to fasting until the consecration on January 22. Despite having a family, he lives away, serving at the old-age home. He survived on fruits and raw bottle gourd and thanked PM Narendra Modi for the temple’s initiative.

Surviving on tea and biscuits

Urmila Chaturvedi, an 87-year-old woman from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, survived on a diet of bananas and tea for 27 years as a vow made during the 1992 communal riots following the Babri Masjid demolition. She pledged not to eat until a peaceful resolution and the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. When the Supreme Court verdict favoured the temple, she expressed immense relief and happiness and headed straight to perform a sastang pranam before Prabhu Shri Ram’s murti. 

Giving up wearing slippers

In 2001, Dev Das from Bihar pledged not to wear slippers until the construction of the Ram Mandir at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya. As a district executive of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Das, who runs a grocery shop, remained barefoot, citing his commitment to Bhagwan Ram’s return to his rightful home. He attributed his resilience to Prabhu Shri Ram’s courage despite initial challenges. Das expressed unwavering faith and claimed to have avoided injuries while walking barefoot. He decided to wear footwear only after the completion of the Ram Mandir construction, following the historic Supreme Court verdict in favour of the Hindu parties.

Ramrao Vitthalrao Sherikar, a 59-year-old tea-seller from Bhagyanagar (Hyderabad), took a vow not to wear footwear until a grand Ram Mandir is built in Ayodhya and a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is erected in Bhagyanagar’s Puranapul area. His dedication, spanning 30 years, reflects unwavering faith and sacrifice. In 1990, he participated in a divine mission to Ayodhya, enduring arrests and police brutality. After fulfilling the statue vow, he forgot about the original reason for his vow and wore slippers. But he started experiencing leg pain until he was reminded in a dream by Mata Tuljabhavani to continue the Ayodhya temple pledge. In 2020, when the Bhoomi puja ceremony was conducted, his devotion and sacrifices found fulfilment.

Giving up on regular clothes

Shri Ram Ram Sundar Ram from Chennai actively participated in the Karseva in 1992. Owing to his deep devotion, he took a solemn vow to exclusively wear a Bhagwa (saffron) shirt until the construction of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir. Shri Ram Ram Sundar Ram’s unwavering commitment reflects the enduring spirit of countless devotees eagerly anticipating the realisation of this sacred project.

In Ayodhya, Ram Chauhan selflessly offers daily service at a Bhandara for devotees until the inauguration of the Ram Mandir. In the late 1980s, Chauhan took a lifetime vow, guided by his Guru, to wear sackcloth exclusively for the cause of ‘Samaj Kalyan’ or social welfare. Recalling the turbulent times marked by the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and escalating militancy in Kashmir, he shared that lakhs joined him in this profound commitment. 

Vow to return to Ayodhya

Last but not least, the story of Prime Minister Modi’s vow back in 1992 when, during a visit to Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to return only after the construction of the Ram temple dedicated to Bhagawan Ram was completed. This pledge was fulfilled when Modi, as Prime Minister, laid the foundation stone for the grand temple on August 5, 2020, at the site believed to be Bhagwan Ram’s birthplace, following the Supreme Court’s November 2019 judgment. Modi is set to lead the consecration ceremony after initiating an 11-day fast – anushthana and Vedic rituals for the Pran Prathishtha of Ram Lalla. 

We also have countless Ram nama written by devotees nationwide who would send their books to the Valmiki Bank in Ayodhya. The power of such acts, the depth and strength of the tapas, faith, and hope that one day the dream of a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will come true has indeed worked. 

It is truly a blessing for all those alive and witnessing this civilisational historical moment that their ancestors worked for – no contribution, no vow, no tapas is big or small, they are all the same in the eyes of Prabhu Shri Ram. जय श्री राम Jai Shri Ram