Ram Mandir inauguration: Goa casinos to remain shut from 8 am to 4 pm on Jan 22

In a show of reverence for the 'pran pratishtha' ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, all casinos in Goa will remain closed for eight hours starting from 8 am on Monday, news agency PTI reported citing an official from a casino management company on Sunday.

Goa is home to six offshore casinos and several onshore ones, with the offshore casino vessels anchored in the Mandovi river near the state capital, Panaji.

Shrinivas Nayak, director of the Majestic Pride group, which operates some of these casinos, stated that all casinos will suspend their operations from 8 am to 4 pm on Monday.


Nayak emphasized the significance of participating in this once-in-a-lifetime event, stating, "When everyone is keeping their businesses closed and holidays have been declared to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime event, why should we not do it?"

The Goa government has already declared Monday a holiday for all government, semi-government, and autonomous bodies to commemorate the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

The 'Pran Pratishtha' of Shri Ram Lalla is scheduled to begin at 12.30 pm on Monday.

The idol of Ram Lalla was placed in the 'Garbha Griha' of the Ram Temple on Thursday amid joyous chants of 'Jai Shri Ram.'

The idol is 51 inches tall and weighs 1.5 tonnes. The idol portrays Lord Ram as a five-year-old child standing on a lotus also crafted from the same stone.