While Ayodhya awaits ‘Pran Pratishtha’, politics and controversies persist

Vibha Sharma    

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Chandigarh, January 19

Today is the last day for ‘darshan’ of Ram Lalla Virajman, as the existing idol is fondly referred to, at the existing makeshift Ram Temple at Ayodhya.

Chief priest Satyendra Das was quoted as saying that ‘Ram Lalla Virajman’ will be shifted to the new temple on Friday.

‘Darshan’ for devotees may be discontinued till a day after the ‘Pran Pratistha’ (consecration ceremony) of the new idol on January 22, say officials familiar with the arrangements.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and security officials are looking into arrangements as a large number of pilgrims are expected to visit Ayodhya after January 22, they add.

While Ayodhya is readying for the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony and high-profile guests, there was a fresh controversy, this time about the appearance of the Ram Lalla idol placed in the ‘garbh griha’ (sanctum sanctorum) on Thursday.

According to senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, Ram Lalla seated in the new temple does not look like a child.

“I have been saying this from the beginning, where is the idol of Ram Lalla whose idol was controversial and destroyed? What was the need for the second statue? Our Guru Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Ji Maharaj had also suggested that the idol of Lord Ram in the Ram Janmabhoomi temple should be in the form of a child and should be in the lap of mother Kaushalya,” he said.

‘Ram Lalla Virajman’

With a new idol consecrated on January 22, ‘Ram Lalla Virajman’ is expected to be used as an ‘utsav’ idol as it is “movable”.

It is expected to be placed in front of the new idol which will be stationary. The new idol is bigger and will provide better ‘darshan’ to devotees from a longer distance, explain officials.

Notably, it is the existing idol that fought the temple title suit for about three decades till a verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute on November 9, 2019.

The person representing the deity in worldly matters is known as the ‘friend’.

In the case of Ram Lalla Virajman, VHP leader Triloki Nath Pandey became his “friend” in 2008 and remained so till the end of the case.

The new idol

The new idol has been sculpted by Mysuru-based Arun Yogiraj.

Made in black stone, the 51-inch idol portrays Lord Ram as a five-year-old child in a standing posture.

Officials say the temple may be opened for ‘darshan’ the day after the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony.

“The selection of the new idol was made with great care. The ‘balswaroop’ (infant) Ram is standing on a lotus, carrying a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other, with a divine look and eyes that inspire a sense of calmness and reverence,” they say.

According to reports, the Ayodhya temple trust had asked for three idols depicting the five-year-old Lord Ram by three different renowned sculptors—Bengaluru-based Ganesh Bhatt and his student Vipin Bhadouriya, Arun Yogiraj from Mysuru and Satya Narayan Pandey from Jaipur.

The one created by Yogiraj was selected by a panel of experts.

Existing idol

Existing idols being worshipped for around seven decades at the makeshift temple will also be placed in front of the new idol inside the sanctum sanctorum.

“The worship of the present idol of Lord Ram has been going on since 1950, and it will be seated in the sanctum sanctorum of the original temple along with the new idol,” general secretary of temple trust Champat Rai was quoted as saying.

Officials say ‘seva’ of the existing idol will continue in the same manner.

When the idols ‘appeared’  

It was around the night of October 22-23, 1949, that idols “mysteriously appeared” inside the disputed site, thereby reigniting the centuries-old dispute and setting in motion events that changed the course of Indian politics in years that followed.

Pamphlets announcing the “miracle” of Rama Lalla “reclaiming” his ‘janmabhoomi’ were also distributed.

Public sentiments generated around the “appearance” also laid the foundation of the prolonged legal battle that culminated with the Supreme Court verdict on November 9, 2019.

According to the Muslim side and some books, the idols were placed by seers led by Mahant Abhiram Das, who later came to be known as ‘Ramjanmabhoomi Uddharak’ (liberator) or ‘Uddharak Baba’.