On the Banks of the Atreyee, a River Turns Sacred as Balurghat Marks Ram Temple Anniversary

January22,2026 Time of Dakshin Dinajpur 

Spiritual Fervour in Balurghat

Kamal Kumar Biswas.TOD.Balurghat

As dusk settled over the gentle current of the Atreyee River on Thursday evening, the riverbank in this border town of South Dinajpur took on the cadence of devotion. Thousands gathered to commemorate the anniversary of the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, transforming the ghat into a space of prayer, light and ritual.

The observance, organized under the initiative of Balurghat’s Member of Parliament and Union Minister of State Dr.Sukanta Majumdar, featured Ram Puja and a grand aarti conducted by priests invited from Varanasi, one of Hinduism’s holiest cities. Lamps flickered in long arcs along the river’s edge as chants rose in unison, echoing across the water.

According to the organizers, nearly 3,000 local residents participated directly in the aarti, while several thousand more watched from the ghats and surrounding areas. Fireworks illuminated the night sky, drawing cheers from the crowd and casting brief reflections across the river, which was symbolically worshipped as Mother Ganga for the occasion.

“This day, January 22, is observed every year as the Ram Temple Foundation Day,” Dr.Sukanta Majumdar said during the event. “We try to mark it with programs that connect faith, culture and the community.” He added that this year’s celebrations also included competitions for children, such as Ram-themed drawing and costume events, aimed at engaging younger generations with religious tradition.

Religious leaders, including monks from the Bharat Sevashram Sangha, were present at the ceremony, lending spiritual weight to the proceedings. The presence of priests from Varanasi underscored the organizers’ effort to mirror the rituals of India’s most revered riverfronts, situating the Atreyee—if only for an evening—within a broader sacred geography.

The gathering reflected a growing pattern across India, where anniversaries linked to the Ayodhya Ram Temple are increasingly marked by public religious events beyond the temple town itself. For many attendees in Balurghat, the evening was less about spectacle than shared belief.

As the final lamps were lowered and the fireworks faded, Mr. Majumdar announced plans to expand the scale of the celebration next year, signaling that what unfolded on the Atreyee’s banks may become an enduring fixture on the town’s religious calendar.