Devashila Yatra (

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental systems: alphabets, writing system), based on the ancient ''Brāhmī script, Brā ...

: देवशिला यात्रा) was a famous

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

religious processions journey in which two large and ancient Shaligram stones were brought from the

Gandaki River The Gandaki River, also known as the Narayani and Gandak, is one of the major rivers in Nepal and a left-bank tributary of the Ganges in India. Its total catchment area is , most of it in Nepal. In the Nepal Himalayas, the Gandaki is notable f ...

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Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...

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. The

Yatra ''Yatra'' (, ), in Indian religion, Indian-origin religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, generally means a pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of River#Sacred rivers, sacred rivers, Sacred mountains#India, sacred mount ...

was conducted in the year 2023. It was a significant event for Hindu devotees, with large numbers of people gathering along the route to pay their respects to the sacred stones. Initially it was supposed that the sacred stones would be used to construct the idol of

Lord Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda'' ...

but later these were not used in the construction of the idol due to some religious reasons.

Background

Every year, on the ''Shukla Panchami'' of the Hindu month Margashirsha, a marriage anniversary of

and Goddess Sita known as Vivah Panchami is organised at the Janaki Mandir located in Janakpurdham. On the occasion of the Vivah Panchami, a wedding procession of Lord Rama arrives to Janakpur from Ayodhya. The wedding procession of Lord Rama is called as ''Ram Baraat''. After the completion of the wedding anniversary of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita, the Ram Baraat departs from Janakpur to Ayodhya. There is a tradition in the Janaki Mandir that at the time of departure of the Ram Baraat, the ''Mahant'' of Janaki Mandir gives some gifts to the wedding guests. The then Mahant ''Ram Tapeshwardas Vaishnav'' of the Janaki Mandir felt that the idol of ''Ramlala'' to be installed in the

Ram Mandir The Ram Mandir (ISO 15919, ISO: , ), also known as Shri Ramlalla Mandir, is a partially constructed Hindu temple, Hindu temple complex in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India. Many Hindus believe that it is located at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi, t ...

being built in Ayodhya, should be made from sacred Shaligram of Krishna Gandaki river.

History

These sacred stones were given as gifts to the ''Ram Baraat'' that had come from

Janakpur Janakpurdham or Janakpur (), is the capital city of Madhesh Province. This sub-metropolitan city is a central hub for the Maithili language, as well as for religious and cultural tourism in Nepal. The city was founded in the early 18th centur ...

during the occasion of the Vivah Panchami festival in the year 2022. These were gifted at the time of the departure of the Ram Baraat from Janakpur to Ayodhya. On 28 November 2022, the Mahant Ram Tapeshwardas Vaishnav of Janakpurdham, had taken resolution during the occasion of the Vivah Panchami that these huge ''Shaligram Devashilas'' would be given as a gift to prepare the idol of Ramlala. According to Rajendra Pankaj, the convener of Ram Baraat cum coordinator of Devashila Yatra, the resolution was taken after worshipping three small Shaligram stones by the Mahant. After that the Mahant of Janakpurdham asked for Devashilas from the federal Government of Nepal as well as the provincial Government of Gandaki Pradesh to gift in the Janaki Vivah Panchami. These Devashilas were not available at the time of the occasion of the marriage anniversary of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita, then. In 2023, the governments handed over the demanded two huge Devashilas to the Mahant of Janakpurdham. After that it was finally handed over to the convener of Ram Baraat as gifts promised earlier by the Mahant.

References

Hinduism India–Nepal relations {{Improve categories, date=April 2025