‘This is not about ego...’; Swami Nischalanand Maharaj clarifies why 4 Shankaracharyas are not attending Ram Mandir inauguration

South 24 Parganas (West Bengal), January 15

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In the midst of assertions from opposing factions that the four Shankaracharyas are contemplating skipping the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Swami Nischalanand Saraswati Maharaj, the Shankaracharya of Puri, said their decision is rooted in the deviation from established traditions during the installation of the Ram Lalla idol.

Speaking to ANI, the Swami 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.

Meanwhile, there has been a lot of hue and cry in the opposition over the four Shankaracharyas reportedly skipping the event.

Opposition parties, including the Congress, have claimed that the Shankaracharyas have decided against attending the January 22 event after objecting to the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony at an ‘incomplete temple’.

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

All four Shankaracharyas are not attending the event of 22nd January citing it a political propaganda by BJP.

What is the hurry to do Pran Pratishtha before completion of work in temple? Now, BJP is also alleging Shanakaracharyas to be anti hindu? Has BJP taken patent of Hindu… pic.twitter.com/YAf8rlgNZ8

— Anshuman Sail Nehru (@AnshumanSail) January 10, 2024

“When they politicised the event and took decisions, our Shankaracharyas, who are at the top of Sanatan Dharma and guide us, said they would not attend the event. This has become such an issue that all Shankarachariyas are saying they will boycott the 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 the 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.