Acharya Satyendra Das, Chief Priest of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir, said on January 20 that the eyes of the Ram Lalla murti cannot be revealed before the ‘Pran Pratishtha’.
The ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Sri Ram Lalla will take place on January 22. The murti of the Bhagwan, sculpted by Arun Yogiraj, was placed inside the Sanctum Santorum of the Mandir. Covered with a veil, the first photo of the murti was revealed during the placement ceremony in the Sanctum Sanctorum on January 18. However, pictures of the Ram Lalla murti with ‘naked’ eyes surfaced on the internet.
Speaking to the media, Acharya Satyendra Das said, “The eyes of Bhagwan Ram’s murti cannot be revealed before Pran Pratishtha is completed. The murti where the eyes of Bhagwan Ram can be seen is not the real murti. If the eyes can be seen, an investigation should be done on who revealed the eyes and how the pictures of the murti are going viral.”
“All the procedures will be carried out as usual. However, the eyes of Ram Lalla will not be revealed until the ‘Pran Pratishtha’,” he added. He also spoke about the procedures for carrying the tent murti of Sri Ram Lalla to the Mandir.
#WATCH | On PM Modi's 11-day 'anushthan' before Ram Temple 'Pran Pratishtha', Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Chief Priest Acharya Satyendra Das says, "The person who does 'anushthan' has to sleep on the floor, does not speak lies, chants mantras like 'Gayatri mantra', has to… pic.twitter.com/lPmpH4ndZz
— ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2024
“It will be established in the Sanctum Santorum of the Mandir, where the new murti will be installed. There is also no auspicious timing for this. An auspicious timing is predicted when something new has to be done. This is a procedure,” he added.
Acharya Das further said, “The question is who will carry the murti to the Mandir. Earlier, the Chief Minister carried the murti from the tent to the temporarily built Mandir. CM Yogi may himself carry the murti to the Mandir.”
Back in 1992, when the Babri Masjid was demolished by the ‘Kar Sevaks’, they set up a small murti of Sri Ram Lalla in a tent at the demolition site and started worshipping the same. The history of the ‘tent murti’ of Sri Ram Lalla dates back to 1949 when some Hindu leaders kept the murti inside the Babri Masjid. It was later claimed that the Bhagwan appeared in the mosque himself. Meanwhile, the Head Pujari of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir also spoke about the procedures of the ‘Aunshthan’, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been holding to mark the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ Day.
“The person who does ‘Anushthan’ has to sleep on the floor, not to speak lies, chant mantras like ‘Gayatri mantra’, has to eat on a leaf and follow ‘Brahmacharya'”, he said.
Earlier, PM Modi himself announced that he would commence a special 11-day ‘Anushthan’ (ritual) ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he has decided to rigorously follow all the rituals despite his hectic schedule and responsibilities. As a result, he has embarked on an 11-day ‘Anushthan’.
PM Modi further said that he was fortunate to witness the ceremony. “I am going through this feeling for the first time in my life. I am experiencing a different kind of devotion. For me, this emotive journey (bhav yatra) is a moment of realisation, not expression. I am unable to express its depth, prevalence and intensity in words. You are able to understand my situation. The dream with which several generations lived, I have the opportunity to attain this,” the PM had said.
The ‘Pran Pratishtha of the new Ram Lalla murti will be held on January 22, which is set to be performed by Prime Minister Modi. A team of pujaris led by Lakshmi Kant Dixit will lead the rituals.
(with inputs from ANI)
