Why Sita omitted from Ram Temple discourse? Opposition targets Modi govt, BJP

Tribune Web Desk

Vibha Sharma

Chandigarh, January 23

While devotees arrive in droves at the holy city of Ayodhya for their darshan of newly-installed Ram Lalla vigraha, the politics and criticism continue to rage around the ceremony and the idol.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday launched a scathing attack on the BJP, terming the ceremony a “political event” and labeling the saffron party “anti-women” for “omitting” Goddess Sita from the discourse.

“I am not against Lord Ram. What about Goddess Sita? She was with Lord Ram during his exile. They (BJP) don’t speak about her…they are anti-women. We worship Goddess Durga…they should not lecture us about religion,” Banerjee was quoted as saying.

Just a couple of days before the 'pran pratishtha' ceremony, a documentary film ‘Sitakund: The Unknown story of Bithoor’on a TMC-linked YouTube channel made similar accusations against the BJP-led Centre of “neglecting Sita”.

Under fire from the saffron party for not declaring a holiday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also inaugurated a Ram Sita Lakshman temple and a 33-ft Hanuman idol at Mahadevapura in Bengaluru and made similar accusations.

According to the Congress leader, unlike the temple inaugurated by him, the Ayodhya temple was built only for Ram.

“Shri Rama cannot be alone. Sita Devi, Lakshman and Anjaneya should be there for it to be complete. They are dividing Shri Rama himself. This is not correct,” he was quoted as saying.

Can ‘lalla’ have a wife?

Dismissing the allegations as “yet another example of lack of knowledge about the region, Ayodhya and Sanatana Dharma,” officials say the construction of the three-storey Ram temple in Ayodhya will be completed by December this year and the baiters should wait till then.

“They are just displaying their lack of knowledge to score a political point. The ‘vigraha’ in the main sanctum is of a five–year-old child. In UP a young boy is also called ‘lalla’. Can a lalla have a wife? The complex will have many temples other structures and by December there will also be a Ram Darbar on the first floor,” they say.

While the Trust has chosen the vigraha carved by Arun Yogiraj for the main temple, officials say other two idols will also be used, where and how will be decided subsequently.

Notably 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 idol created by Yogiraj was selected by a panel of experts.

First floor to house Ram darbar

The first floor will house the Ram Darbar where idols of Lord Ram as the king, accompanied by Sita, brothers Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughan, and Lord Hanuman will be placed.

The second floor will be for religious observances.

The garb griha on the ground floor has two Ram Lalla idols—the one standing on a lotus and the Ram Lalla virajman or the original idol being worshipped for decades

Ayodhya also has a dedicated Sita temple

“There will be a Ram Darbar on the first floor but perhaps BJP's detractors do not know that apart from the Ram Lalla temple there are several other religious and historical places in Ayodhya like Hanumangarhi, Dashrath Mahal, Sita Rasoi, Mani Parvat and Kanak Bhawan.

“Hanumangarhi is believed to be a 10th century temple built by King Vikramaditya for Lord Hanuman. It is said that Hanumanji still resides there to protect the city. Dashrath Mahal is where Rama Lalla spent most of his childhood. It has the idols of King Dasharatha, his wives and his sons.

“Sita ki rasoi is where Mata Sita served food and the temple houses idols of the four princes and their wives Sita, Urmila, Mandavi and Shrutakirti.

“Rang Mahal is dedicated to the worship of Sita. Here Lord Ram is worshiped as the groom of Sita. A unique feature of this temple is the veiled priests who consider themselves as her friends. There are temples dedicated to Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughan. It is obvious that those criticising BJP do not know anything about Ayodhya,” say those familiar with Ayodhya

Meanwhile, according to the reports the new complex will also have temples, including for Sun God, Maa Bhagwati, Ganapati, Maa Annapurna and Lord Hanuman. There will also be temples dedicated to Maharishi Valmiki, Maharishi Vashishtha, Maharishi Vishwamitra, Maharishi Agastya, Nishadraj, Mata Shabari and Rishi Patni Devi Ahilya.

The ancient temple of Lord Shiva has been renovated on Navratna Kuber Tila.

‘Ram lalla Virajman’

Henceforth, ‘Ram Lalla Virajman’ will be a ‘utsav’ idol.

Notably, it is this very 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 idols being worshipped for around seven decades at the makeshift temple have been placed in front of the new idol inside the sanctum sanctorum.

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

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