Why Shankaracharyas Giving A Miss To Ram Temple Event In Ayodhya?

As the stage is prepping up for the grand inauguration of the newly-constructed Lord Ram Temple in Ayodhya, prominent seers have decided to skip the event.

The two Shankarcharyas or religious heads have announced that they are not attending 'pran pratishtha' (consecration) ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22. Thus triggering a controversy.

Joshimath in Uttarakhand, Dwarka in Gujarat, Puri in Odisha and Sringeri in Karnataka are four monasteries known as Mathas or Peethams, in the North, South, East and West of India, set up by 8th-century Hindu saint Adi Shankaracharya.

A Shankaracharya holds the position of pontiff within one of the four mutts, or monastic orders, integral to Hinduism's Advaita Vedanta tradition.

Why are they giving a miss to Ram Mandir event?
Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the 46th Shankaracharya of the Jyotir Mutt, has released a video where he has explained why he is not attending the Ram Temple event in Ayodhya.

"What is the reason for not going? Not because of any aversion or hatred, but because it's Shankaracharyas' duty to follow shastra-vidhi (rituals of the shastras) and ensure that they are followed. And here, shastra-vidhi is being ignored. The biggest problem is that the 'pran pratishtha' (consecration) is being done when the temple is still incomplete," The Print quoted him as saying. "And if we say this, we are called 'anti-Modi'. What is anti-Modi here?"

His statement comments come days after Puri's Govardhan Mutt head Nischalananda Saraswati announced that he was not attending the event as he was "conscious of the dignity of his position".

"What will I do there? While Modiji inaugurates and touches the idol, will I stand there and clap? I don't want a position. I already have the biggest one. I don't need credit. But what will Shankaracharyas do there (at the consecration)?" he added.

He has accused the Prime Minister of "interfering in religious affairs". However, he has "no aversion" to Ayodhya.

"This is not arrogance. But I'm conscious of the dignity of my position, which is why I am not going. I have received the invitation which says I can bring along one person. Why do I need to bring along one person?" he added.

Avimukteshwaranand seer said that the Centre could have waited till the completion of the temple for its inauguration. He said, "We would want to act according to the dharma shastras and want our public to do likewise. Because that's how we know of punya-paap (good deeds and misdeeds). Who told us that Ram exists? Our dharma shastras."

Vaishnavism Vs Shaivism?
A few days ago, Champat Rai, international vice-president of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetrasaid said that the Ram temple belongs to Ramananda Sampradaya, a Vaishnavite sect, and "not to sanyasis or to the Shaiva or Shakti sects".

These comments have not gone well with Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati. "Now that this (our decision) has become public, Champat Rai is saying Shankaracharya are not required here because this place belongs to the Ramananda sampradaya. The question is, if this temple belongs to the Ramananda sect, why is Champat Rai there? Why is Nripendra Mishra (the chairman of the temple construction committee) there? Why is Raja sahab (Bimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra, erstwhile Ayodhya royal and a temple trustee) there?" he commented.

He claimed that he should "resign and hand over the temple to Ramananda Sampradaya before the 'pran pratishtha'". The seer alleges that religious figures have been intentionally sidelined.

"Why did they not declare that the temple belongs to Ramananda Sampradaya when they were taking donations?" he asked. "At that time, you took donations from Sanatan dharmis across the country. You took donations from us, too. When the temple doesn't belong to Shankaracharyas, why did you accept donations from us?"

Is Sringeri Mutt Seer Unhappy?
Speculations were rife that they were one among the four Shankarcharyas who will miss consecration ceremony. However, the mutt has sent its best wishes to the Ram Temple inauguration.

Clarifying the rumours, the mutt, in a statement, said, "This is merely a false propaganda by ill-wishers of our Dharma. All Astikas are hence requested to disregard such false propaganda and take note of what has only been published by the official website and official social media platforms of the Sringer Sharad Peetham,"

In fact, the mutt has encouraged people to take part in the event in large numbers.