"In three days we expect a million people to visit Janak Puri. This year the arrangements are definitely better and more elaborate with better planning and more ambitious jhankis and replicas," says Dr. Ram Avtar Sharma, a key member of the committee in charge of Janakpuri.

 All roads in Agra are now ending up at Balkeshwar where a divine city has come up for the marriage of Hindu god Sri Ram with Sitaji.

 The whole city is invited and looks like nobody wants to be left behind in the run up for a darshan of Sri Ram with his several kilometre long convoy of baraatis marching royally towards Janak Puri at the other end of Agra.

 The biggest spectacle in this part of India, Agra's Ram Baraat was watched from the roadside, balconies, rooftops- as the wedding procession of Hindu god Ram moved through the lanes of Agra towards Sita Maiyya's birth place in Janakpuri.

 The three-day 'Ram baraat', which began Tuesday, has become a hugely popular event in Agra and in some ways has even eclipsed the Ramlila.

 The baraat travels from the Ramlila ground, projected as the kingdom of Awadh, the kingdom of Ram, to so-called Janakpuri, capital of Raja Janak, father of goddess Sita. It covered a distance of 12 km through Agra.

On Tuesday thousands of men, women and children witnessed the show, eager for a glimpse of actors playing the role of Sri Ram, his brothers, Hanuman and other characters from the Ramayana. 

The procession of caparisoned elephants, horses and 'baraatis' along with 100 odd tableaux exhibiting mythological characters as well as scenes with social and political messages was lustily cheered.

The Janakpuri this year has been built at the Balkeshwar colony. Artists from Kolkata and Jaipur as well as locals have helped transform the area into a virtual fairyland.

Each year many actors vie for the role of Janak. The role is auctioned to the highest bidder.

The funds for Ram baraat is raised by locals. Corporate houses often make generous contributions. The municipal corporation ensures that the street lights, roads and other facilities used for the baraat are in good shape.