Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Odisha can take pride in the fact that the exquisitely carved stone idol of Lord Ram in the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, set to open on January 22, will be adorned with the world-famous Khandua Pata, woven by the handloom weavers of Tigiria Nuapatna in Cuttack. We are sending the unique Ahimsa, known as “Khandua Pata,” to Ayodhya. Notably, the renowned epic poem “Ramcharita Manas,” which is based on the Ramayana, was written on this unique cloth made of Eri silk. After receiving approval from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, the cloth was prepared.
According to sources, this unique Khandua Pata took a team of seven or eight weavers fifteen days to prepare. On Wednesday, the Khandua Pata was worshipped at Bhubaneswar’s Ram Mandir before being transported to Ayodhya by a group of weavers. The day following the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, according to the weavers, is when Lord Ram will don this Khandua Pata.
“We approached Champat Rai, general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, regarding our proposition to present the Khandua Pata to Lord Ram,” stated one of the weavers. Eight weavers worked for fifteen days to prepare the Khandua Pata after receiving his approval. We have been informed that on January 23, the pata will be placed atop the idol. We will arrive in Ayodhya on January 19, despite the directive to arrive by January 18.
