Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, penned an article for The Sunday Guardian on his vision for Ayodhya and the Bhoomi Pujan event for the construction of the Ram Temple in Janmabhoomi that is set to occur on the 5th of August. In his article, he paid homage to the sacrifices made by Ram Bhakts through all these years, paid tributes to his spiritual Gurus and also laid out his vision for the birthplace of Rama.
Yogi Adityanath said that the Bhoomi Pujan event will be a ‘befitting culmination’ of five centuries of “perseverance, reverence and penance” of crores of Ram Bhakts. “It is truly gratifying that Lord Ram has given our generation the opportunity to treasure this in our lifetime and leave a religious legacy to the posterity to revere and adore. It will also be an event to recall the sacrifice of thousands of devotees who are not with us to witness this monumental event,” he said.
The UP Chief Minister also remembered the contributions of Mahant Digvijaynath and Mahant Avaidyanath, the immediate predecessors of Yogi Adityanath as the Gorakshapeethishwar, towards the success of the reclamation project. He said that it was Mahant Digvijaynath who first espoused the construction of the Temple between 1934 and 1949 and he also hinted at the late Mahant’s hand behind the ‘magical appearance’ of the Murthi of Shri Rama inside the disputed structure in the winter of 1949.
Yogi Adityanath continued, “After his demise on 28 September 1969, Mahant Avaidyanath-ji adopted the resolve of his Gurudev and launched a decisive movement for the construction of grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya.” The UP Chief Minister said that his spiritual father was chosen to be the first President of Shri Ram Janam Bhumi Yagya Samiti on 21 July 1984.
He continued, “The whole movement managed to expose a few partisan thought processes of pseudo-secularism and communal appeasement, threatening the nationalist ideology, which was developed over the years by the penance of our great sages and saints. It was not to be though. It has also been a historic moment when the first spade was hit by Mahant Avaidyanath-ji and the much-revered saint Paramhans Ramchandra-ji Maharaj during the symbolic digging of the land for the construction of the Shri Ram temple.”
On his vision for Ayodhya, the Chief Minister said that the birthplace of Rama has been ignored for far too long. He said, “The Uttar Pradesh government, under the able guidance of Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to restore the past glory of this sacred town. Ayodhya has long been neglected due to political apathy.”
“We are working on a well-thought out plan to place Ayodhya-ji on the global map in terms of development and the facilities and make it as a symbol of modern culture. The world has already seen splendid Deepawali for three years and now is the time to perceive Ayodhya as a combination of religion and development,” he added.
Saying that the gathering of large number of devotees could not be permitted due to the Coronavirus pandemic, he urged Ram Bhakts to light a lamp in their respective houses on the 4th and 5th of August. Yogi Adityanath also urged the respected saints and Dharmacharyas to organise “Akhand Ramayan” in temples.