Acharya Satyendra Das, the Chief Priest of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Temple, said on January 20 that the eyes of the Ram Lalla idol cannot be revealed before the 'Pran Pratishtha'. The 'Pran Praishtha' of Shri Ram Lalla will take place on Jan. 22. A team of priests led by Lakshami Kant Dixit will lead the rituals and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to take part in the rituals.
The idol of the lord, sculpted by Arun Yogiraj, was placed inside the Sanctum Santorum of the temple on Jan. 19. The first photos showed the idol was covered with a veil. However, pictures of the Ram Lalla idol with 'naked' eyes surfaced on the internet.
Watch: Take a look at Ram Lalla’s idol inside Ayodhya Ram Temple’s sanctum sanctorum
Speaking to ANI, Acharya Satyendra Das said, "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."
"All the procedures will be carried out as usual. However, the eyes of Ram Lalla will not be revealed until the 'Pran Pratishtha'," he added.
He also spoke about the procedures for carrying the idol of Shri Ram Lalla from the tent it is in currently 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 added.
He said, "The question is who will carry the idol to the temple. Earlier, the Chief Minister carried the idol from the tent to the temporarily built temple. CM Yogi Adityanath may himself carry the idol to the temple."
Back in 1992, when the Babri Masjid was demolished by the Kar Sevaks, they set up a small idol of Shri Ram Lalla in a tent at the demolition site and started worshipping the same. The history of the 'tent idol' of Shri Ram Lalla dates back to 1949 when some Hindu leaders kept the idol inside the Babri Masjid. It was later claimed that the lord appeared in the mosque himself.
Meanwhile, the Chief Priest of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Temple also spoke about the procedures of the 'Aunshthan', that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been holding to mark the 'Pran Pratishtha' Day. "The person who does 'Anushthan' has to sleep on the floor, not to speak lies, chant mantras like 'Gayatri mantra', has to eat on a leaf and follow 'Brahmacharya'", he said.
Earlier, PM Modi himself announced that he would commence a special 11-day 'Anushthan' (ritual) ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ayodhya's Ram Temple. Mr. Modi said he has decided to rigorously follow all the rituals despite his hectic schedule and responsibilities. As a result, he has embarked on an 11-day 'Anushthan'. He also said earlier that he was fortunate to witness the ceremony.
