On 16 and 17 December 2023, devotees, mostly women, gathered in large numbers at the hall of the Ramjanardhan Temple in Ujjain. Maalwi in soul, their devotional songs dedicated to Ram and Sita rose at the temple. The garbagriha opened to the devpratimas of Ram, Sita and Lakshman.

When the offering of the bhajan and keertan paused for the vivah rituals, devotees realised that their renditions carried a lease of unusual happiness.

Krishna Bai, one of the women caretakers at the Ramjanardhan Temple points to the temple-mandap and tells this author, “Is mandap mein aisa bhajan-keertan hua maano Ayodhya ji tak pahunch raha ho (it was as if the bhajan-keertan performed in the mandap was reaching Ayodhya. Such were the energies and happiness)”. 

This time on Ram Sita vivah, the devotees’ musical outpouring transformed into an offering unheard anywhere else in Ujjain. The new vastras offered to the devpratimas of Ram, Sita and Lakshman were green and gold.

Their colours and combined lustre were seemingly perfect for the occasion. Ram, Sita and Lakshman are believed to be in vanvas — as depicted in the vigraha at the temple. But their royal green and gold vastras — a reflection of the devotee’s exultation for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, made it seem as if they were not in vanvas but in Awadhpuri, the other puri in the holy saptpuris. 

“The garbhagriha echoed with the recitation of mantras and the Manglashtakam,” Krishna Bai adds. It was led by a group of pujaris who have served at the Ramjanardhan Temple for generations and live in Ujjain.    

Krishna Bai has dedicated 30 years to the ‘seva‘ of Ram, Sita and Lakshman. She had envisioned these scenes exactly seven years ago, when she, along with others at the forefront of ‘seva‘, thought of opening the Sita vivah rituals and worship to the devotees of Ujjain. 

Seven years ago, however, she had not imagined that in 2023, their celebration of Sita vivah would merge with an eruption of devotee-energies directed towards the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

She had also not imagined that her persistence in continuing the Sita vivah celebrations, despite the low turnout of devotees at the Ramjanardhan Temple, would become a dual celebration of Ayodhya and Ujjain in Ujjain. She had not imagined that the rows of earthen lamps to make the Ramjanardhan Temple glow in its own beauty, would become a devotee’s spiritual tribute to Ayodhya. 

Miles away from the Jyotirling Mahakaal Mandir, Harsiddhi Mandir Shaktipeeth and the unparalleled aartis at the two temples, the powerful sound-spirals of the conches and damroo ensembles, and the giant footfall that runs into now lakhs on certain days, the Ramjanardhan Temple, situated on one bank of the Vishnusagar Lake, is faintly-visited. 

Rani Sharma comes from the family of dedicated pujaris in Ujjain. She told this author: “the distance of Ramjanardhan Mandir from the Mahakaal Mandir plays a huge role in the low turnout. Then, many devotees do not know about this temple, even though it is one of the most beautiful temples in Ujjain, and dedicated to Ram.” 

Rajputs Built It, Marathas Restored It 

Three centuries before Ram-bhakta karsevaks from across India converged for a common struggle in Ayodhya, Raja Jai Singh — a Rajput, also known as Mirza Raja Jai Singh of Amber in Rajasthan, built a Ram mandir in Ujjain during the seventeenth century. In the eighteenth century, the Marathas would preserve this temple built by the Rajput raja. 

Archaeological accounts say that the Marathas added a kund to the temple complex during the eighteenth century. Together, the Rajput and Maratha efforts gave Ujjain a rendition in aesthetics dedicated to Ram and the manifestations of Vishnu in the Janardhan Temple at the same complex.

Ramjanardhan Mandir — as the two temples are known — twined in one name — is one of the most striking Sanatan architectural heritages in Ujjain. It narrates a story of how builders and restorers of Sanatan heritage emerging from two different nodes of Hindu military might secured a place of worship dedicated to Ram in Mahakaal’s nagri during the times of Mughal and British dominance. 

At the forefront of the contribution of the Marathas to the preservation of the temple complex was Devi Ahilyabai Holkar herself — a note outside the temple points. Known for her leading role in building, preservation and protection of Sanatan heritage across India, Devi Ahilyabai Holkar is credited to have made timely interventions in the preservation of the Ramjanardhan Mandir during the eighteenth century. 

One of the most striking features at the temples is the wall paintings — also a contribution of the Marathas. 

While the Ram temple faces the Vishnusagar Lake, the Janardhan Temple, with its later addition, the kund. 

The sculptural wealth includes a twelfth century depiction of Garuda which is placed at the garbhagriha of the Janardhan Temple. “The Garuda murti was shifted to the Janardhan Mandir garbhagriha owing to the fear of stealth from its original location near the Kund,” Priya Kumawat, a woman sevika at the temple, told this author. 

Seven reasons why the Ramjanardhan Mandir in Ujjain is one of the most important temples in central India

One: It would become the abode of rare and unique vigrahs of Ram, Sita and Lakshman in one temple. They are unique in three major aspects: form, context and bhava. The Ramjanardhan Mandir presents some of the lesser known and lesser celebrated visual, historic, spiritual aspects and facets of archaeological and Sanatan importance. 

Two: Ramjanardhan Mandir would give Avantika — one of the holy Saptapuris — an abode for Ram and the manifestations of Vishnu in the nagri of Mahakaal and Shakti. 

The Ramjanardhan Mandir represents a powerful place of worship in Ujjain’s Triveni aspect — of Shiva, Shakti and the manifestations of Vishnu. Ramjanardhan — the name is one. In the physical sense, the temple is hyphenated. The other temple is dedicated to Lakshminarayan and the manifestations of Lakshmi.

Three: It would become an abode to Parmar-era sculptures; the eleventh century sculpture of Krishna lifting the Govardhan Parvat, the tenth century captivating sculpture of Vishnu on the Sheshnaag and the twelfth century sculptures of Brahma Vishnu and Mahesh (facing the Vishnu sculpture at the Ram temple). The tenth century stone depiction of Vishnu emerging on the sheshshaiya — stretches on the wall connecting the garbhagriha and the assembly hall. Their presence is a powerful indicator of how the sculptural wealth can be preserved and protected by bhaktas and sevikas at a place of worship within a throbbing temple life. 

Four: The Ramjanardhan Mandir is where a bhakta gets the darshan of Ram’s journey through the forests — his vanvas. It is believed that Ram along with Sita and Lakshman would move from this part of the forests “after a halt” for further journey during their vanvas.  

Five: The Ram Mandir at the Ramjanardhan complex is home to bhittichitra celebrating the birth of Ram and the vivah of Ram — most stunningly —within the garbhagriha. 

Six: The mandir is an example and lesson in how Ram bhaktas and dharmics, the royals, and ordinary people, can together uphold an entire chain of building, restoring, rejuvenating, and preserving the temple tradition and temple life — centuries apart. 

Seven: The Ram Navami and Sita vivah celebrations that take place at the Ramjanardhan Mandir in the twenty-first century are an extension of the artistic expressions from the Marathas during the eighteenth century. How so? The bhittichitra heritage at this mandir, knowingly or unknowingly, gets emulated by the devotee, in colour, musicality, festivities, rituals and sometimes even in the use of flora and texture.

Even the musical instruments depicted are those mentioned during the Ram Sita vivah in Valmiki’s Ramayan. The bhittichitra have deep instructional quality to how musically, via depiction in visual art, should the celebration of Ram take place. The Ram Sita vivah celebrations at the temple are a continuation of the visual richness of the celebration created by the Marathas. 

The ‘Chalte Charan’ — ’Walking’ Feet Of Ram, Sita And Lakshman  

When this author visited the Ramjanardhan Mandir the first time two years ago, Priya Kumavat, one of the sevikas, excitedly pointed to the feet of Ram, Sita and Lakshman. “Unke chalte charan hain (their feet are in motion). Nowhere in the world will you find the feet of Ram, Lakshman and Sita depicted this way.” 

The feet in the Ram and Lakshman vigrah depict harmony in movement of the two brothers. In the depiction, it emerges that Ram and Lakshman are compelled to take an identical decision — for Sita. And so, one foot faces the left, as if defining the direction of their move, and the other seems stationary — and faces the bhakta. 

Lakshman’s feet emulate Ram’s. The feet of Sita ‘seem’ to slow down. 

The vigrahs of Ram, Sita and Lakshman are unique and rare, and as the sevaks claim, they only show “chalte paanv” (feet in movement) are an impactful exception. 

The feet of the three vanavasis narrate to the bhakta the entire story of Ram’s love for Sita, Lakshman’s bhakti for Ram and Sita and Sita’s devotion, femininity, and her own journey of hardships over the journey. 

The responses of Ram and Lakshman to their dilemma, seems synchronised. Rarely does one find or expect the depiction of dilemma, tiredness, reluctance and dharmic persistence, existing in a single vigrah. 

Priya Kumavat adds, “Devi Sita was too tired to move and tells Ram and Lakshman that she is unable to go further, so even as they are direction-bound, they make a pause due to their concern for her.”

Attributes Of Vanvas — Ram And Lakshman’s Beard And Moustaches 

The vigrah at the temple is not only unique for the ‘motion’/’movement’. The moustaches of Ram and Lakshman — curled up; the quiver of arrows slung by their shoulders, and beards covering the lower chin and cheeks, convey the passage of time and the ravages of the vanvas.

Rani Sharma adds, “usually, the swaroop the bhakta gets to see in the pratimas of Ram is that of the raja. The arms and hands, the face, depict the ‘rajasi’ fullness. Here, Ram and Lakshman look tired, their arms and hands too present a picture of lacking nourishment.”  

The Marathas’ Magnificent Instruction In Art 

Fascinating is how the Marathas restored the temple complex and made the infusion of bhittichitra a part of that restoration during the eighteenth century at a time when they had Mughals and the British as a dual challenge in the political and military arena. 

The use of ‘alaya‘ for breaking the same episode into two different depictions reveals the art in space management that the Marathas knew and practised. It divides the depictions of Ram and Sita vivah giving an impressive sense of continuity. 

The work to the left of the ‘alaya‘ depicts a moment from the varmala (Sita garlanding Ram). Ram is shown holding the broken dhanush during the varmala ceremony. Standing behind Sita are possibly her sakhis and dear ones. The garland is shown travelling to Ram in a peculiar, coy and gentle flow.

Standing behind Ram is powerful male presence — possibly Lakshman and Rishi Vishwamitra. Below the varmala scene, musicians are shown engrossed over an ensemble of a sushir vadya (wind instrument) — the shahnai; avnadh vadya (percussion instruments) — a nagada. There is a lone figure with a raised hand — possibly a vocalist. 

In the second depiction on the same wall to the right of the ‘alaya‘ Ram and Sita are shown seated facing each other in a mandap. On the four sides of the mandap are two sets of kalashas in yellow and on either side of Ram and Sita — two banana trees with seven leaves each. 

This mandap scene is central to this depiction. The centrality is noticeable owing to its placement and a generous use of yellow. Blazing yellow are the ritualistic fires. The mandap scene is attended by the devas and dear ones of Sita and Ram. 

When two years ago this author visited the Ramjanardhan Temple the first time, it was evident that the devotees converging in Ujjain for their darshan of the Mahakaal Jyotirlinga Mandir, the Ma Harsiddhi Shaktipeeth Mandir, Mangalnath Mandir, Kalbahirav Mandir, other prime temples, and River Kshipra, do not get drifted towards the Ramjanardhan Mandir. 

Nothing much changed in 2022 after the lokarpan and opening of the Mahakaal Mahalok, and during 2023. 

The announcement of the date for the Pran Partishtha ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, however, is expected to bring a shift to the devotee’s response to the Ramjanardhan Mandir.

The Maratha efforts to keep the Rajput flame of devotion burning is a solid reason for devotees to begin a journey towards Ayodhya from the Ramjanardhan Mandir in Ujjain and learn the process of a unified attempt at ‘preserving’ dharma. Ujjain’s Ramjanardhan Temple awaits a devotee movement — in harmony with Ram and Lakshman’s “chalte paanv”.