Ram devotees flock to see 'auspicious' Neelkanth birds ahead of Ram Mandir opening

Ram devotees flock to see ‘auspicious’ Neelkanth birds ahead of Ram Mandir opening

The entire country is filled with great enthusiasm as the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is to be consecrated on Monday. Festivities are underway across India, and people are resorting to various ways to celebrate Ramayana.

In Agra, a large number of Ram devotees thronged to the Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary to see the Indian roller birds, referred to as Neelkanth birds in the Ramayana.

It is believed that Lord Ram conquered Ravana’s Lanka after seeing this bird.

According to environmentalist and wildlife enthusiast Devashish Bhattacharya, the population of Neelkanth birds in Chambal has increased by about 4 percent compared to earlier.

Social worker Vijay Upadhyay also added that it is believed that before killing Ravana, Lord Shri Ram had touched the leaves of the ‘Shami’ tree, and after seeing Neelkanth, he had conquered Lanka.

The Neelkanth is also considered to be the form of Lord Shiva.

For killing Ravana, Lord Shri Ram was accused of the sin of killing a Brahmin, for which Lord Ram had performed severe penance to Lord Shiva. At that time, Lord Shiva had appeared to Lord Ram in the form of Neelkanth; hence, Neelkanth is also considered to be the form of Lord Shiva, explained Vishal Sharma, Vice Chairman of Hindustani Biradari.

Since it is referred to in the Hindu holy book, people are visiting the places of this bird for an ‘auspicious darshan.’ The Neelkanth birds, found abundantly in tropical regions, are visible in large numbers in Chambal and its surrounding areas, and their population is increasing.

Neelkanth means ‘blue throat,’ referring to the bird’s vibrant blue plumage on its throat and chest.

He said that Neelkanth is often confused with the Kingfisher (Alcedinidae), whereas the two are morphologically very different. Its neck is brown with white streaks, the head and belly are blue, while the primary feathers are pale blue with purple-blue tinges.

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