SENIOR CONGRESS leader and former J&K Governor Dr Karan Singh has written to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath suggesting that a statue of Sita be built next to the proposed statue of Hindu god Ram, even if it meant reducing the size of the latter by half, considering the “sacrifices” made by the goddess. Advertising The letter, dated December 12, urges Adityanath to “give due place to Sita in Ayodhya”. The Ramayana, an ancient epic poem, largely narrates the story of Ram’s struggle to save his wife Sita from a demon, Ravana. “I was in Mithila and the idea struck me there, that having made so many sacrifices and faced hardships all her life and being sent to vanvas (exile) while she was pregnant, Sita deserves to be given her due place in Ayodhya,” Singh told The Indian Express, adding that he has sent a copy of the letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Singh further said, “When we chant, we chant Sita Ram, Sita Ram, so Ram is incomplete without Sita. It is true that Sita was not with him during the war, but she was with him in Ayodhya. Thus, if a Ram statue comes up in Ayodhya, Sita should also be given her place there.” In his letter, Singh wrote, “The land of Raja Janak — Mithila — is regarded as the land of Sita mata as well. Here, Sita ji married Ram. After marriage she went to Ayodhya as a daughter-in-law, but after a few days, she had to go for 14 years of exile with Ram, when she was abducted and made prisoner in Sri Lanka. After the battle and ‘Agni pariksha’, she was brought back to Ayodhya as a queen. She had to face exile even while she was pregnant.” He further wrote, “Remembering such sad circumstances, a thought came to my mind that if a decision has been taken to construct a grand statue of Ram, it is my suggestion to reduce its size to half and also construct a statue of Sita alongside…” The letter was sent to Adityanath the same day he was in Janakpur, Nepal, which is considered the birthplace of Sita. Adityanath had participated in a ‘Ram-Janki Vivah Panchami’ there and while addressing a public gathering, he had started his speech with “Jai Sita maiya” and said, “We cannot even think of Lord Ram without goddess Sita.” Advertising Recently, the chief minister had been shown presentations of different replicas of Ram to be constructed in Ayodhya, from which he had finalised one. It was decided that the proposed statue would be made of bronze. It would be 221m tall, of which 50m would be the height of a pedestal, while the overhead umbrella would be 20m tall. The state government also plans to build a museum inside the pedestal, showcasing the history of Ayodhya as well as ‘Ikshvaku Vansh’ starting from King Manu. Though the project is at its initial stages, the government plans to construct it through crowd-funding.

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