Petition filed in Allahabad HC demanding ban on 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of Ram Temple

PRAYAGRAJ: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Allahabad High Court seeking a ban on the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of Shri Ram Lalla at Ayodhya's Ram Temple to be held on January 22.

The petition has been filed by Bhola Das of Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad. Citing Shankaracharya's objections, the petition demanded a ban on the ceremony.

"A religious programme is going to be organised in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024. The idol of Ram Lalla will be installed at the under-construction temple. The ceremony will be performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Shankaracharyas have an objection to the Pran Pratistha programme. No religious programmes are organised in the month of 'Pus'. The temple is still incomplete. In an incomplete temple, no deity can be consecrated," the petition read.

The petition went on to say that the 'Pran Pratishtha' was described as an affair against the Sanatana tradition. It was also claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was organising the ceremony for electoral gains in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Earlier, the opposition parties claimed that the Shankaracharyas had decided against attending the January 22 event after objecting to the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony at an 'incomplete temple'.

Turning down the invite for the Pran Pratishtha event, Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said that even our Shankaracharyas (religious gurus) will not be attending the Ram Mandir event, which shows that the reason for not attending it is important.

"When they politicised the event and took decisions, our Shankaracharyas, who are at the top of Sanatan Dharma and guide us, said that they would 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 said.

Delhi minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the BJP is trying to separate two-thirds of the country's population from Lord Ram by putting a political tag on the Pran Pratishtha of the 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.

Meanwhile, Swami Nischalanand Saraswati Maharaj, the Shankaracharya of Puri, disclosed that their decision is rooted in the deviation from established traditions during the installation of the Ram Lalla idol.

Speaking to ANI, Swami Nischalanand Maharaj revealed why the four Shankaracharyas are not attending the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha event.

"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 remarked.

Vedic rituals for the Pran-Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya began on Tuesday, a week before the main ceremony. The general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Champat Rai, said the Ram temple will be open for 'darshan' for the general public from January 23.

"The 'Pran Prathishtha' is expected to conclude by 1 p.m. PM Modi and others present on the occasion will express their thoughts after the ceremony. As per tradition, gifts in 1,000 baskets have come from Nepal's Janakpur and areas of Mithila. On January 20 and 21, Darshan will remain closed to the public," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started an 11-day special ritual in the run-up to the Pran Pratishtha of Shri Ramlala at the temple at Ayodhya.