Ayodhya: Ayodhya burnt bright on Wednesday but the adjoining Nandigram village was sulking. Nandigram was ‘ignored’ in the Diwali celebrations this year even though, according to Tulsi Ramayana, it was Nandigram and not Ayodhya that first received Lord Ram when he returned from exile.
This is where Ram’s younger brother Bharat lived and offered penance while Lord Ram was in exile. Bharat was the main man behind organizing Diwali and the coronation of Lord Ram.
Maharaj Hanuman Das, caretaker of Shri Bharatji Prachin Mandir said, “While Ram served his exile, Yogiraj Bharat pledged to enter Ayodhya only with his brother. In those 14 years, Bharat followed a penance inside a small cave. He also governed the kingdom of Ayodhya from here. In this way, Nandigram served as the capital of Avadhpuri for 14 years”.
