Lucknow, January 28: The tableau of Uttar Pradesh, that showcased a replica of the Ayodhya Ram temple in the Republic Day 2021 parade on Rajpath, bagged the first prize among all tableaux. The Uttar Pradesh tableau with a replica of a Ram temple had a glimpse of 'Deepotsav' and various stories from the Hindu epic-Ramayana. The second and the third prize has been bagged by Tripura and Uttarakhand respectively. The first prize winner, i.e. the Uttar Pradesh tableau, showcased Maharishi Valmiki composing the Ramayana in the first part. In the middle part of the tableau, Ram Mandir, the epitome of Ayodhya's cultural identity was featured.

The bedecked tableau is fronted by a sitting model of Maharishi Valmiki and the temple model is on the rear side. The mural showed embracing of Nishadraj and eating of Shabri's berry by Lord Ram, salvation of Ahilya, Kewat Samvad, Lord Hanuman bringing Sanjivani Buti, Jatayu-Ram Samvad, Ashok Vatika and other scenes from Ramyana. Republic Day 2021 Celebrations: Assam Tableau at 72nd R-Day Parade at Rajpath Depicts Rich Beauty of Tea Gardens.

The tableaux from a total of 17 states and union territories were showcased at the Republic Day celebrations, whose scale this year was severely curtailed on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. The news was confirmed by Uttar Pradesh Information Director Shishir (IAS) on Twitter. The official said that the tableau of Uttar Pradesh has won the first prize and congratulated the entire team for bagging the first prize.

Here's the tweet:

It is for the first time that the Uttar Pradesh tableau showcased a glimpse of the Ram Temple that is being built in Ayodhya. In his tweet, the official said that Uttar Pradesh's grand tableau has got the first place for showcasing Ayodhya's culture at the Republic Day 2021 parade. "Heartfelt congratulations to the entire team! Special thanks to lyricist Virendra Vats. The Defence Minister will present the award in Delhi", he said.

The Ram temple is scheduled for completion in 2023. On November 9, 2019, the Supreme Court had settled the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid issue and backed the construction of a Ram temple by a trust at the disputed site. It also ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for a mosque in the Hindu holy town. On August 5, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had  performed the 'bhoomi pujan' for the construction of Ram Temple, bringing to fruition the BJP''s mandir movement that defined its politics for three decades and took it to the heights of power.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 28, 2021 12:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).