'We Are Modi Admirers': Shankaracharya Who Questioned Ram Temple Event Praises PM

Shankaracharya said that it is under PM Modi's tenure that the self-respect of Hindus have been awakened.

Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati said that it is under PM Modi's tenure that the self-respect of Hindus have been awakened. ( Image Source :X/@ANI )

New Delhi: On the eve of the 'Pran Prantistha' ceremony of Ram Lalla at the Ayodhya Ram Temple, Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati of Uttarakhand's Jyotish Peeth said that he is one of the admirers of PM Modi.

He said that it is under PM Modi's tenure that the self-respect of Hindus have been awakened.

He is the same Shankaracharya who had voiced concerns against the temple's consecration ceremony and refused to go to the January 22 Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya.

Speaking to ANI, he said, "The truth is, with Narendra Modi becoming the Prime Minister, Hindus' self-respect has awoken. This is not a small thing. We have said it several times publically, we are not anti-Modi but Modi's admirers. We admire him because which other Prime Minister in independent India has been so brave, someone who stands firm for the Hindus?"

#WATCH | Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati says, "The truth is, with Narendra Modi becoming the Prime Minister, Hindus' self-respect has awoken. This is not a small thing. We have said it several times publically, we are not anti-Modi but Modi's admirers. We admire him… pic.twitter.com/pVWXxNhigQ

— ANI (@ANI) January 21, 2024

The Shankaracharya blamed the media for portraying him as anti-Modi.

"We are not criticising anyone but he is the first such PM who supports Hindu sentiments...As Hindus, we are against? What are you saying? You, the media, have just one agenda - prove us anti-Modi. Tell me, when the PM, through his Home Minister, abrogated Article 370, didn't we welcome it?" he said.

A row erupted after all four Shankaracharyas, who preside over the major Hindu shrines known as 'peeths', have decided to not attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. 

 The Shankaracharyas lead the shrines located in Joshimath (Uttarakhand), Dwarka (Gujarat), Puri (Odisha), and Sringeri (Karnataka), all established by the eighth-century religious scholar Adi Shankaracharya.

In a video shared on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on January 9, Joshimath Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati said that none of the four pontiffs would be present in Ayodhya on January 22 due to concerns that the temple's consecration was taking place before the completion of its construction.

He stated, "The scriptures are being undermined by carrying out consecration before the construction of the temple is complete. There is no reason for this rush."

The Pran Pratishtha of Shri Ram Lalla is slated to take place on Monday during the auspicious Abhijit Muhurta of Paush Shukla Dwadashi at 12:20 pm.