As Preparations Begin for Ayodhya Temple Ceremony, Revered Seer Says Time Chosen 'Inauspicious'

As preparations begin for Ram temple Bhumi Pujan ceremony in Ayodhya, a new controversy has arisen over the time and date selected for the occasion. Revered seer Shankracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati has claimed that the time fixed for the Bhumi Pujan was an 'inauspicious moment'.

The Bhumi Pujan event is scheduled to take place on August 5 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in all probability, will be a part of the occasion.

However, the seer has said that the date August 5 falls in the Dakshinayan Bhadrapada month and is the second day of Krishna Paksha. In Hindu scriptures, home and temple work is prohibited during the Bhadrapada month. He cited Vishnu Dharma Shastra and the Naivagna Ballabh Granth to support his claim.

"We are Ram devotees, we will be happy if anyone builds the temple of Ram, but for that appropriate date and auspicious time should be chosen," he said.

The Shankaracharya also said that since the temple was being built with public's money, their opinion should be sought as well.

However, the Kashi Vidhyat Parishad termed Shankaracharya's claims as baseless and stated that Lord Rama is an universal hero and questions on his temple cannot be raised.

Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, the successor of Mahant Nritya Gopal Das and President of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra Trust informed that the Ram Temple Bhumi Pujan event will last for three days. The programme will begin on August 3 with 'Ganesh Pujan', followed by 'Ramcharna' on August 4.

On August 5 at 12:15 pm, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Ram Temple. The Bhumi Pujan will be done by Vedic scholars and Acharya Pandits of Kashi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra Trust, formed after Supreme Court's decision on the Ayodhya dispute on November 9, 2019, had expedited the preparations for the temple construction in the premises of Ram Janmabhoomi.

Within the same period, on March 25, the idol of 'Ram Lalla' was shifted to a temporary temple, post which the leveling of the land was done. The sanctum sanctorum temple will remain within the 2.77 acres of the land, in which Kashi scholars and priests of Ayodhya, along with PM Modi, will perform Bhumi Pujan with full Vedic customs.