The Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt, Swami Vijayendra Saraswati, has decided not to attend the inauguration of the Ram temple at Ayodhya on January 22. He was in Kashi from where he was planning to go to Ayodhya on the crucial day. In fact, he did visit Ayodhya recently to update himself with the construction of the temple.
B. Sridhar, a close confidante of the Shankaracharya, told FPJ on Thursday that when the latter realised that he would not be allowed to participate in the “kumbhabhishekam” (consecration of the temple) he decided to go down south. “He has already reached Hyderabad and from there he will be travelling to Pune. On January 22, he will be nowhere near Ayodhya," he added.
Mr Sridhar has written a letter to PM Modi (FPJ has a copy) expressing the anguish of the Shankaracharya and Hindus.
“We all Hindus are very proud of you for the construction and inauguration of Sri Ram Temple at Ayodhya. (However) it was indeed painful to learn that the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Kanchipuram, whose previous peetadishwar Sri Jayendra Saraswati Swamiji had toiled his entire life to secure a peaceful solution for the Ram janambhoomi, has been completely ignored in the forthcoming inauguration of the Ayodhya Celebrations on January 22, 2024.”
Entourage of present Kanchi Sankaracharya decides to return back from Ayodhya
“The amount of meetings that Sri Jayendra Saraswati Swamiji had with the Muslims Imams including organising joint public community meetings in various parts of India is unfortunately ignored conveniently. The whole Hindu community was looking forward to the Ayodhya grand celebrations which was the culmination of the Kanchi Sankaracharya's dream of retaining back Sri Ram's birthplace.”
“The Hon Prime Minister has to be reminded that while the court case continued for so many decades but only due to the intelligence of the Kanchi Sankaracharya that the idol was already correctly housed in the present birth place even when the case was being fought.”
“It is painful that the present Sankaracharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam (Shri Vijayendra Saraswati) is being ignored and the news is that he will be called as a routine invitee only. Learning that the PMO has insisted on the above arrangement, the whole entourage of the present Kanchi Sankaracharya has decided to return back from Ayodhya and has already started to proceed southwards, to avoid (an) embarrassing situation," Mr Sridhar wrote echoing the views of the Kanchi Shankaracharya. He has demanded that the “injustice” being meted out to the Shankaracharya, who has millions of followers, be rectified and he be allowed to perform the “kumbhabhishekam.”
