Seers bat for restoring Ayodhya’s ‘prestige’ after temple theft row; key meet under way

Ayodhya, July 23: Around 250 seers from Ayodhya’s mutts, temples, and akharas, along with Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) functionaries, began deliberations on Thursday on restoring Ayodhya’s “honour and prestige” amid the Ram Temple donation theft controversy.
The participants called for strict adherence to the Vaishnav-Ramanandi tradition in temple rituals.
The meeting began at around 3.30 pm at Shri Ram Satsang Bhavan in Maniram Das Chhawani.
According to sources, “restoration of Ayodhya’s image” emerged as one of the central themes of the discussions, with participants expressing concern over the political controversy triggered by the alleged theft of devotees’ offerings and its “impact on the reputation of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.”
Speaking to PTI Videos in the morning, Kamal Nayan Das, the designated successor of Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, said the central theme of Thursday’s meeting would be “Rashtra aur Sanatan.”
“Representatives of mutts and temples from across Ayodhya will participate in the meeting,” he said.
Jai Ram Das, associated with the organisers, said one of the key issues on the agenda was evolving a mechanism through the trust to ensure that all temple rituals, festivals, celebrations and methods of worship are conducted strictly according to the Ramanandi tradition.
The Ramanandi tradition is a Vaishnav sect that worships Lord Ram as the Supreme Being and traces its lineage to saint Ramananda.
The Ram Temple, like most other temples in Ayodhya, follows this tradition, under which daily rituals such as ‘aarti’ and ‘bhog’ are performed. (PTI)