Chhattisgarh: Lord Ram's name is the identity of Ramnami sect

With the 'Bhoomi-poojan' ceremony of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ramnami sect in Sarangarh area of Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district, who are considered to be the true Rambhaktas, is on the verge of extinction. The people of this sect engrave the name of Lord Ram all over their bodies apart from donning clothes with the name of Ram over it and wearing crowns made of peacock feathers.

Raigarh: People of Ramnami sect in Sarangarh area of Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district are popularly known as the devotees of Lord Ram or Rambhaktas across the globe. The people of this sect are famous for engraving the name of Lord Ram all over their bodies as they believe that through this way they devote their lives to the worship of Lord Ram and merge with the divine.

The entire nation is excited about the construction of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya followed by its 'Bhoomi-poojan' ceremony performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

Although the people of the Ramnami sect do not profess their belief in temples and idol worship as they believe that Lord Ram resides everywhere, they have also expressed their happiness over the historical development.

Ramnami people appear different from other devotees of Lord Ram as they get themselves tattooed all over the body with the name of the diety. For the Ramnami sect, The name of Ram is the most important part of their culture. They don the clothing with Ram's name written over it and wear a crown made of peacock feathers.

Read:|Lal Bangla, the mysterious sacred kitchen of Odisha tribal community

It is believed that about a hundred years, Hindus belonging to upper caste restricted people of the Ramnami sect from entering the temple in a village. To mark a protest Ramnami people got the name of Ram tattooed all over their face and body. The Ramnami society is also known as 'Ramarmiha'.

According to Ramnami Sect Chhattisgarh Spokesperson Munu Pandit, in 1885 Baba Parshuram had written the name of Ram on his entire body at the age of 53 following which his wife Gangabai also did the same. Influenced by their devotion, About 10,000 people from more than 200 villages in Chhattisgarh got tattooed the name of Lord Ram on their bodies.

The first Bhajan Mela of Lord Rama was organised in 1911 in Firda.

Each year Bhajan Mela is organized in January on behalf of the Ramnami Sect. Earlier, people from all castes including Chauhan, Chandrakar, Sahu, Sarathi, Yadav and Vaishya communities have adopted the Ramnami cult. But in the recent scenario, this sect is on the verge of extinction.

Read:|Over 100 armed tribals abducted two men in Chhattisgarh's Dungarpur