Millions of Hindus in India are celebrating the festival of Ram Navami on Thursday to mark the birth of Lord Ram.
According to the Hindu epics the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, Lord Ram is the embodiment of chivalry, righteousness and devotion to duty.
He was born to King Dasharatha and Queen Kaushalya in Ayodhya, now in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, and is the seventh incarnation of the Hindu deity Vishnu.
Devotees fast for eight days leading up to the Ram Navami festival.
Story of Ram's birth
Hindus consider Ram Navami to be the day Lord Vishnu, the protector of the universe, reincarnated as Ram among mortals.
According to Hindu mythology, King Dasharatha and his three queens — Kaushalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra — performed yagna, a ritual in front of a sacred fire with mantras, for God’s blessings as they were not able to bear an heir.
After the yagna, the queens conceived and Queen Kaushalya gave birth to Lord Ram on the ninth day of the Hindu month of Chaitra.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indians to follow the example of the Hindu deity.
“Many best wishes to all the countrymen on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami. The life of Maryada Purushottam Lord Ramchandra, based on sacrifice, austerity, restraint and determination, will remain the inspiration of humanity in every era,” Mr Modi tweeted.
Celebrating Ram Navami
Every Indian region attaches its own particular significance to Ram Navami and the way the festival is celebrated.
In the Ayodhya area of Uttar Pradesh, several events have been organised on the banks of Saryu river, where devotees light hundreds of thousands of earthen lamps along its banks after bathing in its waters. A grand procession is held with devotees carrying religious flags and chanting “Jai Shri Ram” (“Hail Lord Ram”).
The Ram temple at Ayodhya has been decorated with 500kg of flowers. The temple will also give devotees special offerings made with ghee, sweets and fruits. It is the last time the temple will be hosting the Ram Navami celebrations as a new temple is likely to be inaugurated by the end of the year,
In Bhadrachalam, in the southern state Telangana, devotees of Lord Ram celebrate the festival by visiting the temple and offering prayers. In the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu, people visit an ancient temple in Rameshwaram that is believed to have been established by Lord Ram, to seek his blessings.
At home, devotees worship a statue or photo of the deity and offer him water, saffron, rice and sweets. Women cook vegetarian meals and invite young girls to the feast.
Who are the Sacklers?
The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.
Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma.
It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.
Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".
The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.
Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
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