The Ayodhya Ram temple trust has chalked out programmes to encourage religious rituals across the country that will involve the public in the excitement around the inauguration of January 22, while also helping keep them away from the pilgrimage town.

The trust has prepared small bags of akshat (a mix of uncooked rice and dried turmeric powder that is used in pujas) to be distributed among five lakh villages. The programme was launched in Ayodhya on Monday in the presence of Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, and several Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders.

A letter has been drafted to be handed to devotees along with the akshat bag.

Rai said the “campaign” to distribute the akshat bags will be held from January 1 to 15.

He added that the trust had appealed to the people to celebrate the January 22 temple consecration from wherever they were instead of heading for Ayodhya.

“We have appealed to the people to organise religious programmes in temples near their houses on January 22,” he said.

“They can hold bhajan sessions and recitals of the Hanuman Chalisa and Sundar Kand of the Ramayan; they can perform aarti and distribute prasad. They can light five lamps in every house on the occasion.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, had during an Ayodhya visit on December 30 appealed to people not to rush to Ayodhya on the day of the temple inauguration but observe “Deepavali” at their homes.

Several Opposition politicians have described the hype around the temple inauguration as “politics in the name of religion”, aimed at diverting people’s attention from “the real issues”.

Rashid Alvi, a senior Congress leader, said in New Delhi: “The BJP government is doing little development and lots of politics in the name of religion. It is part of their preparation for the parliamentary elections to be held this year.”

Three idols

Unable to reach a consensus on which of the three Ram idols crafted should be installed at the shrine, the temple trust has decided to keep all three.

Kameshwar Chaupal, a trust member, said the trust didn’t want any controversy over the idols.

“While one idol will be kept in the sanctum sanctorum, the other two will be installed on the first and second floors of the temple,” he told reporters in Ayodhya.