Ayodhya (UP), March 10 : Special rituals will be held in Ayodhya next month during the nine-day Chaitra Navratri that will culminate in Ram Navami on April 17.

This will be the first Chaitra Navratri after the opening of the Ram temple.

The celebrations will begin on April 9 with the commencement of Navratri.

The Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has tasked its religious wing, Dharmik Nyas Samiti, to make the occasion a grand affair in Ayodhya that will resonate across the country.

'The Ram Mandir Trust and the Ayodhya administration are expecting an unprecedented crowd in the temple town during the nine-day festivities,' said a member of the Trust.

A senior official of the Ayodhya administration said, 'This will be the period when campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls will be at its peak and people will flock to the Ram temple for blessings.'

Govind Dev Giri, treasurer of the Trust, who is also chairman of the Dharmik Nyas Samiti, is preparing a blueprint of the nine-day special rituals on Ram Janmabhoomi campus that will start from April 9.

'Now, when the Ram Mandir has come up in Ayodhya, we are expecting a huge turnout of devotees in Ayodhya on Ram Navmi. Plans are afoot to make the nine-day Navratri a grand affair,' said Govind Dev Giri.

'The Trust will have to confine itself to Vedic rituals in Ram Mandir and Ram Janmabhoomi due to unprecedented crowds turning up in the city to pay obeisance to Ram Lalla,' said a member of the Trust.

The district administration will focus on controlling the crowd and making elaborate security arrangements to make sure no untoward incident takes place during this festive period.

Apart from the Ram Janmabhoomi campus, Dashrath Mahal, Kanak Bhawan and other historic places in Ayodhya will also be decked up for the nine-day long festival.

Sharad Sharma, regional spokesperson, VHP, said, 'During Navratri, Ayodhya will be soaked in religious fervour. People from across the country will come down to the temple town to pay obeisance to Ram Lalla after the opening of the grand temple.'

/IANS