All four prominent Shankaracharyas, or religious leaders of major Hindu shrines, said they would not attend the dedication ceremony of the Ram Mandir in the northern Indian city of Ayodhya on January 22.
Against the Shastras
The heads of four shrines, called ‘peeths’, located in the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Odisha and Karnataka, said they would not attend the inauguration event because it was being held “against the shastras”, or sacred Hindu scriptures.
the chiefs of the Puri and Joshimath shrines announced that none of the four Shankaracharyas would attend the inauguration as they would not adhere to religious scriptures as the temple was consecrated before the construction was completed.
Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the 46th Shankaracharya of the Jyotir Mutt, also emphasized that the decision should be interpreted as “anti-Modi”, but rather it was done because they did not want to be “anti-shastras”.
He also said that it is the duty of the Shankaracharyas to follow the religious scriptures and ensure that they are followed properly.
“The scriptures are being undermined by performing dedications before the construction of the temple is completed. There is no reason for such haste,” said Avimukteshwaranand.
He further argued that it was a bad idea to inaugurate an incomplete temple and install a god’s idol. “The biggest problem is that the pran pratishtha (consecration) is done when the temple is still incomplete,” said Avimukteshwaranand.
Inauguration turns into political show
Earlier this month, Nischalananda Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of the Puri shrine, said he would skip the ceremony because he was “aware of the dignity of his position”.
“What am I going to do there? While (Indian Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji is inaugurating and touching the idol, will I stand there and applaud? I don’t want the position. I already have the biggest one… But what will the shankaracharyas do there?” asked Saraswati.
