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‘Temple Belongs to Ramanand Sect, Not to Sanyasis, Shaiva or Shakta’: Champat Rai’s Remarks Draw Ire

Shankaracharya Nishchalananda Saraswati, who had confirmed that he would not be going to Ayodhya for the January 22 event, criticised general secretary of the Ram temple trust Champat Rai's remarks, advising him not to diminish his stature while holding a position of power.

New Delhi: In an interview to Amar Ujala, Champat Rai, general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, said that there’s no hurry to complete the construction work, as it took 18 months to build only the foundation.

“Earlier, the idea was that it would be built in 18 months… so, the foundation could be built in 18 months. The idea was that it would be built in three years. If we start from July 2020, then with 2023, three and a half years have passed. Now, if someone decides that it will be completed within a year, then after a year, he will have to tell that so much is still incomplete,” he told the daily.

When asked about the method of worship in the new temple, Rai said that since it’s a Ram mandir, Ramanand tradition will be followed.

“The temple belongs to the Ramanand sect, and not to the Sanyasis, not to Shaiva or Shakta,” he added.

Shankaracharya Nishchalananda Saraswati, who had confirmed that he would not be going to Ayodhya for the January 22 event, criticised Rai’s remarks, advising him not to diminish his stature while holding a position of power.

Shankaracharya had said that he’s unhappy about the lavish event for the consecration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

He said he feels it’s being turned into a political show. “It’s because of the upcoming general elections the event is being made so splendid… It’s not appropriate to sit outside a temple, clapping, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be unveiling the idol,” the Times of India reported him as saying.

“Our Mutt has received the invite for the January 22 event in Ayodhya, which says that if I want to come there, I can come there maximum with one person. Even if I was allowed to be there with 100 people, I wouldn’t have gone there that day.”

While the Shankaracharya praised Prime Minister Modi for his commitment towards Hindutva, he told the New Indian Express, “The pilgrimages are now being turned into centres of tourism in the name of development, which means that Teerth Sthals are being turned into Bhog Sthals, perhaps this what is being lapped up by the people also in the name of development.”

Four Shankaracharyas have refused to participate in the organisation of Ram temple, The Wire reported. Academic, author, and commentator Apoorvanand pointed out that although it’s said to be a non-religious event, it is perceived as a political event for the BJP. He questioned why the Congress or other parties cannot articulate this straightforward observation.

“Hum anti-Modi nahi hain, lekin hum anti-dharamashashtra bhi nahi hona chahte (We are not anti-Modi, but we do not want to be anti-dharamashashtra either),” one of the Shankaracharyas, Jyotishpeeth’s Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand, said.

“Shankaracharyo ka daitwa hain ki wo shashtra vidhi ka palan karein aur karwayein. Ab wahan par shashtra vidhi ki upeksha ho rahi hain. Sabse pehli upeksha hain ki mandir abhi pura bana nahi hain, aur pratishtha ki ja rahi hain. Koi aisi parishthiti nahi hain ki ye achanak kardena padhe. Dekho, kisi 22 December ki raat ko wahan murtiyan rakh di gayi thi. Wo ek paristhiti thi…aur jis raat ko dhandcha hataya ja raha tha, tab koi muhurat thodi na dekha gaya tha…kya tab kisi shankaracharya ne prashn uthaya. Nahi, kyuki tab paristhiti thi. (It is the duty of the Shankaracharyas to follow and enforce the shashtra vidhi. Now the shashtra vidhi is being ignored. The first thing to note is that the temple is not yet complete, and prayers are in progress. There is no such situation that this should be done suddenly. See, on the night of 22nd December, an idol was placed there. That was a situation. That night when the strructure was being lifted [referring to Babri Masjid], then no Shankaracharya asked this question. Because it was a situation.)”

“Ab koi paristhiti nahi hain ki 22 tareek ko hi karna hain. Aaj humare paas mauka hain, hum ache se pratishta karke mana kar sakte hain. (Ab koi paristhiti nahi hain ki 22 tareek ko hi karna hain. Aaj humare paas mauka hain, hum ache se pratishta karke mana kar sakte hain.)

“Lekin phir bhi adhoore mandir mein pratishta kardi ja rahi hain. To ye hum kaise sweekaar karle. (But still the incomplete temple is being consecrated. So how can we accept this?)”

Separately, Jyotishpeeth’s Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand has demanded Champat Rai to resign, saying that he and all the members of the Trust should immediately resign and hand over the responsibility of construction of the temple to the Ramanandi sect, according to Media Swaraj.

“It seems quite strange to differentiate between Shankar and Ram. Because it is Ramayana, Ram Katha, if you read it, Lord Shiva and Parvati, they are themselves devotees of Ram, and Lord Ram has also established a big Shiv temple in Rameshwaram,” Media Swaraj’s YouTube channel analysed.

“Champat Rai’s statement of differentiating between Ram devotees and Shiv devotees, and the efforts being made to sideline the institutions of Hindu Sanatan, and the efforts of VHP, RSS, BJP, who are in full control of the institution of construction of Ram temple, all these things appear to have angered Shakaracharya,” the media outlet said.


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