'Not About Ego...': Puri Seer On Four Shankaracharyas Skipping Ram Temple Event

Swami Nischalanand Maharaj explained why the four Shankaracharyas are not attending the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony.

Puri Shankaracharya Nischalananda Saraswati.

Source : Twitter

Amidst opposition factions claiming that the four Shankaracharyas are considering skipping the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Swami Nischalanand Saraswati Maharaj, the Shankaracharya of Puri, revealed that their decision is based on a deviation from established traditions during the installation of the Ram Lalla idol. Swami Nischalanand Maharaj, speaking to ANI, explained why the four Shankaracharyas are not attending the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony.

"The Shankaracharyas uphold their own dignity. This is not about ego. Are we expected to merely sit outside and applaud when the Prime Minister installs the idol of Ram Lalla? The presence of a 'secular' government does not imply the obliteration of tradition," he was quoted as saying by ANI in its report. 

Meanwhile, there has been much uproar in the opposition over the four Shankaracharyas allegedly skipping the ceremony.

Opposition parties, including the Congress, have stated that the Shankaracharyas have chosen against attending the January 22 event after objecting to the 'Pran Pratishtha' ritual in a 'incomplete temple'.

After declining the invitation to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, Congress leader Ashok Gehlot stated that even our Shankaracharyas (religious gurus) will not attend the Ram Mandir event, indicating that the reason for not going is significant.

"When they politicised the event and took decisions, our Shankaracharyas, who are at the top of Sanatan Dharma and guide us, said that they will not be attending the event. This has become such an issue that all Shankarachariyas are saying they will boycott this event. If the Shankaracharyas are saying so, it has its own importance," Gehlot was quoted by ANI in its report. 

Saurabh Bharadwaj, a Delhi minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader, claimed that the BJP is attempting to detach two-thirds of the country's people from Lord Ram by politicalizing the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Temple.

"There is a system and set of rituals to perform Pran Pratishtha. If this event is religious, then is it happening under the guidance of the Shankaracharyas of the four Peeths? All four Shankaracharyas have said clearly that the Pran Pratishtha of an incomplete temple cannot be done. If this event is not religious, then it is political," he said.

The spectacular opening of the temple, which is expected to draw dignitaries and people from all backgrounds, is well underway. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has selected noon on January 22 as the day for the installation of Ram Lalla's idol in the Ram Temple's sanctum sanctorum. The Vedic rites for Ram Lalla's Pran-Pratishtha celebration in Ayodhya are set to begin on January 16, one week before the major event.