Mauritius is joining the celebration to mark Ram Temple opening ceremony in Ayodhya town of the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on January 22 and will organise chanting of verses from the epic ‘Ramayana’ in temples across the Island nation.

Mauritius is known to have a significant number of Indian-origin population as its citizens.

Speaking to ANI on Friday, the president of the Mauritius Sanatan Dharm Temples Federation, Bhojraj Ghoorbin, said all temples in the Hindu-majority country will organise the chanting of verses from ‘Ramayana’ as part of events marking the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Shri Ram Lalla in Ayodhya on January 22.

“Across Mauritius, all our Hindu brothers and sisters are in a celebratory mood these days. From Makar Sankranti on January 15, all our temples will hold the chanting of verses from Ramayana. On January 22, when Lord Ram will be enthroned at the grand temple in Ayodhya, we will hold celebrations similar to Diwali. The Festival of Lights will be celebrated twice in Diwali this year,” Ghoorbin told ANI.

Ghoorbin said a special event will be organised a day before the temple opening which will be attended by PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth as the chief guest.

"On January 22, we will arrange a live telecast of the ‘Pran Prantistha’ ceremony in the Mauritian capital. We will set up giant screens so that everyone can catch the event live. We would all be lighting lamps in our homes and all our temples would be lit up like they are on festivals,” Ghoorbin told ANI.

Mauritius approves special break for Hindu staff on January 22

Amid the growing public interest in India around the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Mauritian government by Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth announced the grant of two hours of special break for practicing Hindu public officers on Jan 22 to enable them to participate in local events marking the 'Pran Pratishtha' of Shri Ram Lalla in the Indian temple town.

In an official statement, the Mauritian government notification read, "(The) Cabinet has agreed to the grant of a one-off special leave of two hours on Monday 22 January 2024 as from 1400 hours to public officers of Hindu faith, subject to exigencies of service, in the context of the inauguration of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir in India, which is a landmark event as it symbolises the return of Lord Ram in Ayodhya."

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust will install the Ram Lalla idol at the sanctum-sanctorum of the temple at noon on Jan 22, with Prime Minister Modi, and in the presence of hundreds of Hindu seers.