Amidst the political controversy arising from reports of prominent spiritual leaders opting out of the Ram Temple consecration ceremony scheduled for January 22 in Ayodhya, Puri Shankaracharya Nischalananda Saraswati clarified on Friday that such claims were ‘false’.

“It’s false; there are no differences between the four ‘Shankaracharyas’ over the Ram Temple ‘pran prathistha’ ceremony in Ayodhya,” PTI quoted Puri Shankaracharya Nischalananda Saraswati as saying.

In a video shared by the news agency PTI, Nischalananda Saraswati stated, “Who said that all the four Shankaracharyas disagreed on the ceremony? It is false.”

Reports suggested that the top four spiritual leaders of Sanatan Hindu Dharma, also known as ‘Shankaracharyas’, decided not to attend the consecration ceremony of Ayodhya’s Ram temple. These four Shankaracharyas lead the main mutts in Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Odisha, and Karnataka, established by the eighth-century seer Adi Shankara.

Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) working president Alok Kumar mentioned that two of the four Shankaracharyas had “openly welcomed” the upcoming consecration ceremony at the Ram temple. None of them would reportedly be present at the grand event. He added that they plan to visit the Ram temple “as per their convenience later”.

Jyotirpeeth Sankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati said, “The consecration ceremony at the Ram temple at this stage is not right as its construction is yet to be completed.”

Ram Temple ‘pran prathishtha’

Ayodhya is gearing up for the “pran pratishtha” ceremony at the temple scheduled for January 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to attend. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, responsible for the Ram Mandir, has announced that the consecration ceremony will be preceded by a seven-day ritual starting on January 16.

The programme card for the pran pratishtha features a silhouette of the temple and describes the event as “Ceremony Special” or “Karyakram Vishesh” in Hindi. The auspicious time, or “shubh muhurt” for the “Pran Pratishtha” is set for 12.20 pm on Monday, January 22, 2024.

PM Modi is slated to be the chief guest at the event, which has extended invitations to over 7,000 individuals, including celebrities, saints, and politicians. Notable invitees on the list encompass cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, and billionaire industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani. Additionally, the trust has invited 4,000 seers from various parts of the country.