Champat Rai, general secretary of the Ram Mandir Tirtha Kshetra Trust addressed a press conference on Monday to give information on the Ram Mandir bhoomi pujan ceremony. The bhoomi pujan, which is going to take place on 5 August, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will be accompanied by four more people on stage — Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Mahant Nritya Gopaldas, chief of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas. The first invite was sent to Iqbal Ansari who was one of the Muslim litigants in the Ayodhya case.
Keeping in mind safety precautions due to Covid-19, except Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, no state/ UT heads have been invited for the ceremony. BJP veterans L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Kalyan Singh, who played a crucial role in the temple movement, are unlikely to be physically present in the ceremony in the temple town. However, as per the highly-placed trust sources, both BJP veterans would join the ceremony through video conferencing. There are chances of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attending the event.
Extensive security measures have been deployed to ensure hassle free and peaceful completion of the ceremony, Rai said. He mentioned that mobile phones will not be allowed at the venue and attendees will not be allowed to carry bags. “Each invitee has been provided with invitation card that bears a code. This code will ensure that one invitee gets entry only once,” Champat Rai said.
Any invitee, who leaves the bhoomi pujan venue for whatever reason, will not be allowed to re-enter. Rai mentioned that 135 saints of 35 religious organisations, out of the total 175 eminent guests, have been invited to attend the foundation stone-laying ceremony of Ram Mandir. The Mahant of Janaki Mandir in Nepal has also been invited.
It is mandatory for the invitees to arrive at the venue two hours prior to the arrival of PM Narendra Modi. Champat Rai, speaking of clothing that will adorn Ram Lalla, said that the deity will be dressed in green-coloured clothes as the colour signifies prosperity. Water from more than 100 rivers and soil from more than 1,500 holy places in the country have been brought by devotees for the bhoomi pujan ceremony.
“Many people have arrived, including VHP leader Dinesh Chand, mahants from “akhadas” in Haridwar. All invitees will be here by Tuesday evening. RSS’ Mohan Bhagwat and Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi, among many others, are expected to come,” Champat Rai said.
“Some people are so perturbed by the PM that they see him in their dreams and lose sleep over him. They are linking Lord Ram’s green clothes to the PM. It is unfathomable if they were influenced by green clothes or fear of the PM. It is not a matter pertaining to PMO, CM or the Trust. The priest (Acharya Satyendra Das, Chief Priest of the makeshift temple) has been deciding the colour of clothes as per the day. It is fixed. He does not make changes under anyone’s influence. For Monday, it would be white clothes, for Tuesday it would be red clothes and for Wednesday, it would be green clothes. We have also kept an option of yellow and saffron clothes,” Rai said.
Although the foundation stone-laying ceremony will be held on 5 August, the actual sequence started 108 days ago on 18 April 2020 in which Vedpath, Purusha Sukta, daily Srisukta, Aghoramantra, Vastu, planets, Nakshatra Shanti lessons and Vishwa Sahastra name, Shri Ram Sahastra name, Shri Havan and Rudrabhishek were also performed with Hanumat Sahastra, Durga Saptasati chants.