The fervour about the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has even impacted Gita Press. The Gorakhpur-based publishing house has decided to make Ram Charitmanas available online as the iconic scripture, along with Hanuman Chalisa and Sunder Kand, has flown off the shelves across all outlets because of the unprecedented demand for religious texts. The scripture would be accessible on its website, www.gitapress.org, in 10 languages, including Oriya, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, English, Bengali, Hindi, Assamese, and Nepali, by January 15, Agarwal said.
The publishing house decided to post more scripts online
Gita Press also plans to upload other texts, such as Ayodhya Darshan (new edition) and Ayodhya Mahatmya. "To cope with the overwhelming demand, we have upgraded the server, allowing up to 1 lakh people to read or download the text simultaneously," Agarwal said. The "unprecedented" situation in the run-up to the consecration ceremony has led to the sacred texts selling "like hot cakes," according to Kamal Agarwal, President of Bhootnath Adrash Vyapar Mandal in Lucknow. "This is the first time since its establishment that the Press is facing such a challenge," said Gita Press trustee Devi Dayal Agarwal.
Over 10 lakh copies of scrips have been sold in the last three months
The surge in demand began as early as October, with an astounding 3.27 lakh copies of Ram Charitmanas and 13.50 lakh copies of Hanuman Chalisa being sold in the past three months alone, according to Lalmani Tiwari, the manager of Gita Press. "The current stock is rapidly depleting, posing a significant challenge to meet the demand," he said. In Kanpur, Gita Press outlets have already run out of stock for Ram Charitmanas and Hanuman Chalisa. Outlets in various regions have reported an overwhelming demand for these sacred scriptures.
Demand continues to sore
Orders for thousands of copies are pouring in from places such as Jaipur and Bharatpur, while regional offices are grappling with additional requests for Ram Charitmanas and Ayodhya Darshan. However, the publishing house can meet only 75 per cent of the demand. The overwhelming demand has also prompted Gita Press to establish an outlet at the Ram temple.
"As the consecration ceremony approaches, the online availability of Ram Charitmanas stands as a testament to the power of faith and the collective yearning of devotees to partake in the historic events unfolding in Ayodhya. This digital initiative ensures that the spiritual wisdom encapsulated in these sacred texts reaches the hearts and homes of countless individuals, fostering a deeper connection with the revered traditions," said Mahant Satendra Das, the priest of the Ram Mandir.
