Maryada Purushottam Ram Can't Be Linked With Politics: Ram Temple Trust Chief

Lord Ram is Maryada Purushottam and he cannot be associated with politics, Shri Ram Mandir Construction Committee chairperson Nripendra Mishra said today.

The remarks come after Congress declined the invite to senior leaders Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22. Congress called the programme a "BJP-RSS event".

"I do not answer political questions, but I do not understand one thing - Lord Ram has become political, or his followers who have devotion to him are making him political. Is Lord Ram looking at different people from different viewpoints and blessing only a few? If God is Maryada Purushottam, how can politics be associated with him?" Nripendra Mishra told news agency ANI.

During the interview, Mr Mishra said that the 'shubh muhurat', or auspicious time, for the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla at the temple in Ayodhya, is 12:30 pm on January 22.

"The 'muhurat' on January 22 is around 12:30 pm. The prayers and rituals have already begun. Ram Lalla will probably be brought inside the sanctum sanctorum tomorrow morning. Different types of rituals, like the Abhishek (bath) of the idol, among others, will be performed. Finally, when the auspicious time comes at 12:30 pm on the 22nd of this month, Pran Pratishtha will be done," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla at the grand temple on January 22.

The black-stone idol of Ram Lalla, sculpted by Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj, has been selected for the enthronement.

Rituals started on Tuesday and will continue for seven days. Thousands of VIP guests have been invited by the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust for the ceremony.

Mr Mishra said that the event is historic and that Hindus across the world feel that their faith has been respected.

"It is perhaps a historic event. There was a belief, universally, I would call it among Hindus, that (Lord) Ram belongs to Ayodhya and must get recognition in the place where people believe the temple is. So, with that kind of faith and belief, suddenly the realisation has come that Lord Ram in the form of a child will come to the temple and the consecration will take place," the chairman of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Construction Committee said.

He said, "Not only in India but all over the world, Hindus feel their rights have been recognised and their faith has been respected."

Invoking the Supreme Court's verdict on the Ayodhya case, five years ago, the former Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "What PM Modi said in 2019, when the judgment came, that there should be no sense of victory or defeat, we all must accept the judicial pronouncement. So everyone is cautious that while you celebrate this day, don't celebrate it as something that is meant to show any other person of a different faith that he is less important to this country. This country belongs to everybody."

The Trust has made elaborate arrangements to welcome and honour all attendees, presenting them with gifts that include 'Ram Raj.' As part of the celebration, Teerth Kshetra Trust will also distribute special 'motichoor laddus' made from desi ghee as 'prasad' to the guests.

A member of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust shared that PM Modi will be presented with a 15-meter picture of the Ram temple enclosed in a jute bag featuring an image of the sacred structure.

More than 11,000 guests nationwide have been invited to the Pran Pratistha ceremony, with special arrangements underway to provide memorable gifts to all attendees. According to a Trust member, the revered Ram Raj soil excavated from the temple will be given to the guests as a memento.

A team of priests led by Lakshmikant Dixit will perform the main rituals of the Pran Prathistha.