Ayodhya Ram Mandir Chief Priest faces a setback as a leaked photo of the Ram Lalla idol emerges before the scheduled Pran Pratishtha ceremony on January 22. Chief Priest Acharya Satyendra Das
Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, expressed strong disapproval of the leaked image, emphasizing that revealing the idol with ‘naked’ eyes is incorrect. According to him, the eyes of Lord Ram’s idol should not open before the completion of the prana pratishtha rituals.
Speaking to ANI, Acharya stated, “The eyes of Lord Ram’s idol cannot be revealed before Pran Pratishtha is completed. The idol where the eyes of Lord Ram can be seen is not the real idol. If the eyes can be seen, an investigation should be done on who revealed the eyes and how the pictures of the idol are going viral.”
He added, “All the procedures will be carried out as usual. However, the eyes of Ram Lalla will not be revealed until the ‘Pran Pratishtha.'”
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is considering taking action against those responsible for the leak, suspecting involvement of officials engaged in construction work at the temple site.
The new 51-inch idol, crafted from black stone sourced from Karnataka, is scheduled to be consecrated in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22, with the temple expected to open to the public on January 23. A team of priests led by Lakshami Kant Dixit will oversee the rituals.
Acharya Satyendra Das also discussed the procedures for carrying the tent idol of Shri Ram Lalla to the temple. “It will be established in the Sanctum Santorum of the temple, where the new idol will be installed. There is also no auspicious timing for this. An auspicious timing is predicted when something new has to be done. This is a procedure,” he explained.
Regarding the ‘Aunshthan’ ceremonies, the Chief Priest highlighted the rituals that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been observing to mark the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ Day. “The person who does ‘Anushthan’ has to sleep on the floor, not speak lies, chant mantras like ‘Gayatri mantra,’ has to eat on a leaf, and follow ‘Brahmacharya,'” he noted.
PM Modi, who announced an 11-day ‘Anushthan’ ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, expressed his commitment to rigorously follow all the rituals despite his busy schedule and responsibilities. The leak of the Ram Lalla idol photo has injected a sense of urgency among officials and raised concerns about maintaining the sanctity of the consecration ceremony.