The rally began at the Hanuman Mandir in Glen View and ended at the BAPS Swami Narayan Temple in Bartlett, IL.
Ahead of the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, Chicago Chapter organized a “Car Rally Mandir Invitation Marathon” on December 23, 2023 across 11 temples in the area.
The event began at the Hanuman Mandir in Glen View and ended at the BAPS Swami Narayan Temple in Bartlett, IL. Over 200 Hindus from the Chicagoland area and 100 cars participated in the rally.
The participating temples included Hanuman Temple, Hari Sumiran Temple, Haridham Temple, Jalaram Mandir, Manav Sewa Mandir, Gayatri Gyan Mandir, Hari Om Mandir, Chicago Kali Bari Temple, Umiya Mata Temple, and BAPS Swami Narayan Temple.
The event began with puja and aarti at the Hanuman Mandir. Each temple on the way received a formal invitation to the consecration ceremony of the Ayodhya temple by Amitabh Mittal, the general secretary of the Vishwas Hindu Parishad of America. Mittal presented each temple with a statue of Ram Parivar, Kalash, Holy Water of Gangotri, Shri Hanuman Sunderkand books, and Sankalp Patra.
Dipen Shah (Joy) came up with the idea for this historic rally. Harendra Mangrola, president of the Chicago Chapter, and his dedicated team were behind its execution and involved in confirming route options, establishing contact with temple priests and management, and coordinating the logistics of the rally.
Commenting on the significance of the event, Mangrola said, “This is the dream of generations. From 1528 to today, after 495 years of waiting, it is finally over. We invite all to attend and be part of this historical day.”
“All the temple presidents and priests expressed their gratitude towards VHPA for presenting them the Sankalp Patra and assured their full participation in the upcoming ceremonies,“ a release stated.