Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Union minister Narayan Rane hit out at the Shankaracharyas on Saturday after they said they would not attend the ‘Pran Pratishtha‘ (consecration ceremony) of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
Reacting to this, Narayan Rane asked, “What is the contribution of Shankaracharyas to the Hindu religion?” He added that the Shankaracharyas should send good wishes that the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was finally built after so many years.
The spiritual leaders had said the rituals being followed for the consecration were “against the scriptures”. Jyotir math Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati said “the biggest act of ignorance” of shashtras was the installation of idols of Lord Ram while the temple was still under construction.
The Shankaracharyas also said their reluctance to participate in the ceremony is neither a rejection of reverence for Lord Ram nor are they “anti-Modi”.
However, Narayan Rane said, “The Shankaracharyas are looking at (Prime Minister) Modi ji and the BJP politically, but this program is religious, it is about our dharma. Ram is our God, and it is all about him”.
Rane also praised PM Modi and said it was only him who had been able to get the temple built.
“Ram Mandir is being built after so many years. No one has been able to do this till now. Nobody took up the Ram Mandir matter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi picked up the matter,” the Union minister and BJP leader said.
The Shankaracharyas head the four principal monasteries or mutts that were established by the eighth-century Hindu saint Adi Shankara, who was a follower of Hinduism’s Advaita Vedanta tradition.
The ‘Pran Pratistha’ of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will be held on January 22 with PM Modi leading the event. On Friday, the Prime Minister began an 11-day ‘anusthan‘ (special ritual) ahead of the consecration ceremony.