Top spiritual leaders of Sanatan Hindu Dharma, all the four Shankaracharyas, will not attend the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, said Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth in Uttarakhand.

The issue first came into limelight after the Shankaracharya of Puri’s Govardhan math, Swami Nishchalanand Saraswati, said he would give the Ram temple event a miss since the rituals being followed for the consecration were “against the scriptures”.

In an undated video that went viral on social media, Swami Nishchalanand Saraswati said he was “conscious of the dignity of his position” even though he stressed that he had “no aversion” to the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

“If maryada purushottam Ram is to be honoured, then it should be in accordance with the scriptures… I will not protest, but I will not go either… It is a matter of happiness. There should be respect and worship as per the scriptures… What will I do by going to that program?” he said.

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Days later, Jyotir math Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati said the rituals for the temple inauguration were not being followed as per the Hindu religion. He said they don’t hold any ill-will against anyone. “We are not anti-Modi but at the same time we also can’t go against our Dharma Shastra,” said Avimukteshwaranand.

Taking objection to remarks by Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra who is overseeing the construction of the Ayodhya temple, Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati said the management of the temple should be handed over to the Ramanand community before the consecration event.

The Jyotir math Shankaracharya said “the biggest act of ignorance” of shashtras was the installation of idols of Lord Ram while the temple was still under construction.

According to the temple trust, the first floor and sanctum sanctorum of the Ram temple are complete and it will require another two years for the temple to be fully ready.

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However, according to a report by Times of India, the working president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Alok Kumar said that two Shankaracharyas of Dwarka and Shringeri have ‘welcomed’ the pran prathistha. He further claimed that the Puri Shankaracharya was also in favour of the ceremony and only the Jyotispeeth Shankarayacharya has made remarks against the ceremony.

“They have said that they will come for darshan of Ram Lalla at an opportune time,” Kumar told TOI.

Who are Shankaracharyas?

The Shankaracharyas are revered spiritual leaders in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism, each heading one of the four principal monasteries established by the eighth-century religious scholar Adi Shankara. They are the heads of four shrines situated in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath, Gujarat’s Dwarka, Odisha’s Puri and Karnataka’s Shringeri.

These shrines, also known as ‘mathas’ or ‘peethams’ (institutes), are situated in the four cardinal directions of India and are responsible for maintaining and promoting the teachings of Advaita Vedanta.

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Congress slams BJP

Hitting out at the BJP, the Congress on Friday said the ruling party has made the Ram temple consecration ceremony an “out and out political event” which is being held without taking the advice of shankaracharyas and by disregarding religious procedures, PTI reported.

Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera alleged that the consecration ceremony is not being held keeping in mind religious procedures. “Is it being conducted keeping in mind religious procedures on the advice of the shankaracharyas,” Khera asked.

All four shankaracharyas have said that the consecration ceremony of an “incomplete temple” cannot be done, he said.

AAP on Shankaracharyas’ remarks

Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said the decision of the four Shankaracharyas to not attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22 was “sad” and their opinion on ‘pran pratishtha’ (consecration) should have been honoured.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Bharadwaj said, “If we had been in the government, I would have fallen on their feet that how can the ceremony take place without them.”

“All the four Shankaracharyas are saying that the temple is incomplete. So, ‘pran pratishtha’ (consecration) at a time like this is not in line with the Vedas and Sanatana Dharma. I think their words should be honoured. They are the supreme authority in Hindu religion. The fact that they are not attending the ceremony is sad,” he further said.

(With inputs from agencies)