Discussing about the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple consecration ceremony, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Lal Krishna Advani has said that the inauguration of the Ram temple was a “fulfillment of a divine dream” as the destiny had decided that a grand temple of Lord Ram will be built in Ayodhya and it chose Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this purpose.
In his article ‘Ram Mandir Nirman, Ek Divya Swapna Ki Purti’, featured in a special edition Rashtradharma, a 76-year-old Hindi literature magazine, Advani observed that PM Modi stood by him throughout the Rath Yatra.
“He was not very widely known then. But at that very period Lord Ram had chosen his devotee (Modi) to reconstruct his temple,” news agency PTI reported citing a source quoting the BJP veteran.
“During that time, I sensed that fate had decreed that one day a magnificent temple of Shri Ram would definitely be built in Ayodhya. Well, now it’s just a matter of time,” he added.
Advani also said that when the pran-prathistha ceremony would take place, PM Modi would symbolize every citizen of the country.
“When Narendra Modi consecrates the (Lord Ram’s idol at the) temple, he will represent every citizen of our India. I hope that this temple inspires all Indians to embody the qualities of Shri Ram,” Advani said.
In his article, he wrote about the ‘Ram Rath Yatra’ which he undertook 33 years ago for Ram Janmabhoomi temple construction from Gujarat’s Somnath on September 25, 1990, and conduled with the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.
“Today ,the Rath Yatra completed 33 years. When we started the Rath Yatra on the morning of September 25, 1990, we did not know that the faith in Lord Ram with which we were starting this Yatra would evolve into a country-wide movement,” he said.
“A few days after the Rath Yatra started, I realised that I was just a charioteer. The primary messenger of the Rath Yatra was the chariot itself and was worthy of worship as it to journeyed to Shri Ram’s birthplace Ayodhya to fulfill the sacred purpose of building the temple,” he added.
The Rath Yatra which Advani co-hosted with BJP veteran Murali Manohar Joshi, snowballed into communal violence across various parts of north India.
The BJP stalwart further said that the time of ‘Rath Yatra’, he faced many complexities that significantly influenced his life. He also believed that the movement was the “most decisive and transformative event” in his political journey as it allowed him to “re-discover India and, in the process, understand himself anew.”
“During the Rath Yatra, there were many experiences which influenced my life. Strangers from remote villages would approach me , overwhelmed with emotion after seeing the chariot. They would do ‘pranam’, chant Lord Ram’s name and depart.
“This conveyed amessage that there were many people who harbored dream of the Ram temple… With the consecration of the Ram temple on January 22, the long suppressed desires of those villagers will also be fulfilled,” he added.
A copy of the special edition of the magazine featuring Advani’s article will be distributed to all the attendees of the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya.
The preparations are in full swing for the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla in the newly built Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya on January 22. Vishva Hindu Parishad has invited the 96-year-old BJP stalwart to attend the consecration ceremony in the temple town.
The Ram Mandir, based on the traditional Nagara style, is a three-storied shrine, measuring 380 feet in length (east-west direction), 250 feet in width, and 161 feet in height. It has a total of 392 pillars and 44 doors. It features five Mandaps (halls) — Nritya Mandap, Rang Mandap, Sabha Mandap, Prarthna and Kirtan Mandap.
(With inputs from PTI)
