Ayodhya Ram Mandir: PIL Files in Allahabad HC Seeking Ban on ‘Pran Pratishtha Ceremony’

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Allahabad High Court, seeking prohibition on the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of Shri Ram Lalla at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple, scheduled for January 22, 2024.

The petitioner, Bhola Das from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, has based the plea on objections raised by Shankaracharyas, seeking a ban on the ceremony.

The petition highlighted the upcoming religious program in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024, where the idol of Ram Lalla is to be installed at the under-construction temple. The ceremony, to be performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has faced objections from Shankaracharyas. The petition argued that, as per tradition, no religious programs are organized in the month of ‘Pus,’ and since the temple remains incomplete, consecrating any deity would be improper.

The petition contended that the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ was deemed contrary to the Sanatana tradition and alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is orchestrating the ceremony for electoral gains in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Previously, opposition parties claimed that the Shankaracharyas decided against attending the January 22 event due to objections to the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony at an ‘incomplete temple.’

Rejecting the invitation for the Pran Pratishtha event, Congress leader Ashok Gehlot emphasized the significance of Shankaracharyas’ decisions, stating that their absence speaks volumes.

Delhi minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the BJP of politicizing the event and claimed that the party is attempting to separate a significant portion of the country’s population from Lord Ram by attaching a political label to the Pran Pratishtha of the Ram Temple.

On the other hand, Swami Nischalanand Saraswati Maharaj, the Shankaracharya of Puri, explained that the decision to abstain from the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha event stems from deviations from established traditions during the installation of the Ram Lalla idol.

Vedic rituals for the Pran-Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya commenced a week before the main ceremony, and the temple will be open for public ‘darshan’ from January 23, according to Champat Rai, the general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The ‘Pran Prathishtha’ is expected to conclude by 1 p.m., and PM Modi, along with other dignitaries, will share their thoughts after the ceremony. Gifts from Nepal’s Janakpur and Mithila areas have been received, and on January 20 and 21, Darshan will remain closed to the public. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has initiated an 11-day special ritual leading up to the Pran Pratishtha of Shri Ramlala at the Ayodhya temple.