Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati stirred a controversy by claiming in Varanasi that the August 5 date for bhoomi pujan for construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya was ‘inauspicious’.
While the bhoomi puja ceremony will start from August 3, the foundation stone for the temple will be laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5. Incidentally, the date is the first anniversary of abrogation of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and its bifurcation of the state into two Union territories.
The Shankaracharya said that the date fell in Dakshinayan Bhadrapada month and was the second day of Krishna Paksha.
“In Hindu scriptures, construction of home or temple is prohibited during Bhadrapad,” he said, referring to Vishnu Dharma Shastra and Naivagna Ballabh Granth to buttress his claim.
“We are Ram devotees. We will be happy if anyone builds the Ram temple, but the construction should be carried out as per Hindu calendar. The work should start on an auspicious time and date,” he said.
The Shankaracharya also said that since the temple was being constructed with public money and donations, public opinion should be sought as well.
However, Kashi Vidhyat Parishad termed the Shankaracharya’s claim as baseless and said that Lord Ram was a universal hero and hence no questions should be raised on the construction of His temple.
Chief priest of Ram Janmabhoomi temple, Acharya Satyendra Das challenged the claim of the Shankaracharya that Bhadrapada was not auspicious for bhoomi pujan.
“The month of Chaitra is auspicious as it is the birth month of Lord Ram. Bhadrapad is also auspicious as it is the birth month of Lord Krishna. Hence any religious work can be started in both months,” Das claimed.
Similar views were presented by Mahant Parhamans Das of Tapasvi Chhavni of Ayodhya. “I challenge the Shankaracharya to engage in a religious debate on the matter with me. It seems that the Shankaracharya is trying to obstruct the construction of the Ram temple,” the Mahant said.
Mahant Nritya Gopal Das’ successor and president of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, Mahant Kamal Nayan Das , said that the Ram temple bhoomi pujan would last for three days.
“The programme will begin on August 3 with Ganesh puja, followed by Ramcharan puja on August 4.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of Ram temple at 12:15 pm on August 5. The puja will be performed by Vedic scholars and pundits from Kashi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya.
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, formed after the Supreme Court’s decision on the Ayodhya dispute on November 9, 2019, had expedited the preparations for temple construction on the premises of Ram Janmabhoomi.