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Senior BJP leader and former Madhya Pradesh CM Uma Bharti on Friday made a heartfelt appeal to Puri Shankaracharya Nischalanand Maharaj to attend the Pran Pratsihta ceremony of January 22, saying that his opinion is respected.
"I want to say to Nischalanand Maharaj that you have said that you have received the invitation; then please come. We have struggled so much for 500 years. Now everything is falling into place with your blessings. If something is missing in the rituals, then let us know and we will make it right" Uma Bharti said Reacting to the statements of Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalanand Maharaj, she said that the disagreement in 'Shastrarth' by Nischalanand Maharaj should be respected as it has been the tradition of India and its democratic system. "If Puri Shankaracharya Nischalanand Maharaj has said something, he has said it because Adi Shankara re-established Vedic Dharma through Shastrarth. In our democracy, disagreement in Shastrarth has always been respected. So this should be viewed from a similar perspective. Mocking and challenging Nischalanand Maharaj is a sign of arrogance," said Uma Bharti. Earlier, amid assertions from opposing factions that the four Shankaracharyas are contemplating skipping the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Swami Nischalanand Saraswati Maharaj, the Shankaracharya of Puri, disclosed that their decision is rooted in the deviation from established traditions during the installation of the Ram Lalla idol. Speaking to ANI, Swami Nischalanand Maharaj said "The Shankaracharyas uphold their own dignity. This is not about ego. Are we expected to merely sit outside and applaud when the Prime Minister installs the idol of Ram Lalla? The presence of a 'secular' government does not imply the obliteration of tradition," he remarked. The 'Pran Pratishtha' of Shri Ram Lalla at the historic temple will take place on January 22. Vedic rituals for the Pran-Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya began on Tuesday, a week before the main ceremony. The fourth-day rituals began at the temple on Friday at 9 a.m. with the lighting of holy fire. The idol of Shri Ram Lalla, which was placed inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple in Ayodhya on Thursday, will be given 'Aushdhadhiwas' (medicinal abode), 'Kesaradhiwas' (saffron abode), 'Dhritashiwas' (Dhrita abode), and 'Pushpadhiwas' (flower abode). Following this, the idol will be kept in saffron and later in grains. The temple doors will be closed to visitors until January 22 and will be reopened the next day. The general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Champat Rai, said that the Ram temple will be open for 'darshan' for the general public from January 23. "The 'Pran Prathishtha' is expected to conclude by 1 p.m. PM Modi and others present on the occasion will express their thoughts after the ceremony," said Champat Rai. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started an 11-day special ritual in the run-up to the Pran Pratishtha of Shri Ram Lalla at the temple at Ayodhya. (ANI)
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