On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the Bhumi Pujan for the new Parliament building, which is being built at an estimated cost of Rs 971 crore.
The Central Vista project, one of Modi government ambitious project, involves the redevelopment of the area known as Central Vista Avenue, the area between the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the India Gate.
The Bhumi Pujan event was performed as per Hindu traditions and several religious ceremonies were scheduled to be held on the occasion of the historic event. A team of priests from Shri Sharada Pitham from Sringeri performed various pujas. Leaders of various other faiths were also present to recite prayers during the foundation laying ceremony.
Reportedly, Union Parliamentary Affairs Ministers Pralhad Joshi was given responsibility by Prime Minister Modi to organise the foundation laying ceremony. PM Modi had personally conveyed Joshi to invite priests to perform religious rituals on Thursday’s event. Accordingly, Minister Pralhad Joshi had requested the Jagadguru Sri Bharathi Theertha Mahaswamiji of the Sringeri Sharada Pitham, who had, in turn, promised to send a team of Vedic scholars and priests to New Delhi.
Team of six priests to perform various Puja
A team of six priests reached the capital on Tuesday to prepare for the pujas to be performed on the occasion of Bhumi Puja ceremony. Acharya V Shivakumar Sharma, KS Lakshmi Narayana Somayaji, KS Ganesh Somayaji, Nagaraja Adiga, Raghavendra Bhatta and Rishyasringa have flown to New Delhi to conduct rituals and Puja as per Hindu traditions on Thursday as PM Modi lays the foundation for the new parliament.
During the ceremony, the priests from Sringeri will perform Guru Puja, Ganapathi Puja, Punyaha Vachana, Adikesha Puja, Anantha Pooja, Varaha Puja and Bhuvaneshwari Puja.
The Sringeri Sharada Peetham has also sent a special ‘Shankh’ or conch and ‘Navarathna Peetam’, blessed by Jagadguru himself, to be placed at the foundation of the new parliament project.
A ‘sarva dharma prarthana’ (inter-faith prayer) was also conducted. Religious leaders of various faiths recited prayers and gave their blessings for the new building.