Much has been said about Ram Mandir in the context of Pran Pratishtha scheduled for 22nd January. It began with the Congress shooting its gun off the shoulders of four Shankaracharyas, who said they would not attend the event for various reasons.
The news got picked up by various mainstream media giving the impression that all four Shankaracharyas are against the Pran Pratishtha, which is not the case.
The Congress claimed that all four Shankaracharyas – Shankaracharya Swami Shri Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati of Badrikashram Jyotirmath in Uttarakhand, Shankaracharya Swami Shri Nischalananda Saraswati of Purvaamnaya Govardhanmath in Puri, Shankaracharya Swami Shri Bharati Teerth Ji of Sringeri Mutt and Shankaracharya Shri Swami Sadanand Saraswati of Paschimannaya Dwarka Shardapeeth – are opposed to the way the ceremony is being held, and they will not attend the same.
While the Shankaracharyas of Jyotirmath and Puri have indeed said that they will not attend the event, no such announcements were made by Dwarka and Sringeri , but their names were also added in the claims.
Therefore the Dwarka and Sringeri Maths issued statements refuting such claims, and they urged the devotees to celebrate the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
Why are Shankaracharyas of Jyotirmath and Puri opposing the ceremony?
Shankaracharya Swami Shri Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati of Jyotirmath has expressed objection to the Pran Pratishtha on the grounds that the consecration cannot be done until the temple structure is complete as per Hindu scriptures.
Shankaracharya Swami Nischalanand Saraswati Maharaj of Puri has not opposed the event but only said that His decision is rooted in the deviation from the established traditions during the consecration of the Ram Lalla idol.
“The Shankaracharyas uphold their own dignity. This is not about ego. Are we expected to merely sit outside and applaud when the Prime Minister installs the idol of Ram Lalla? The presence of a ‘secular’ government does not imply the obliteration of tradition,” He said.
Some reports also claim that both Shankaracharyas have said that the ceremony is a political one while their statements on record state that their reservation is limited to rituals and traditions.
So is Pran Pratishtha happening as per Shastras or not?
While the subject is being widely debated just 6 days ahead of the Divine ceremony, many experts well-versed with the subject have supported the Pran Pratishtha.
Renowned Hindu astrologist Shri Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid Ji, who has himself identified and scheduled the auspicious time for the Pran Pratistha on 22nd January, had reportedly issued a response to a question in this regard.
Replying to a query of a Baban Lakshmanrao Maske of Alandi Devachi town in Pune whether Pran Pratishtha can be done without the completion of the shikara (pinnacle), Shri Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid Ji wrote:
“The pratishtha of the temple of the deity is done in two ways; one, on the completion of the temple and two, on the part completion of the temple. When the Dev (Pran) Pratishtha is done upon the full completion of the temple, then a sanyasi (ascetic) is required to place the Kalash atop the temple. The Kalash Pratishtha is not done by a non-ascetic or a person with family life because, if done so, then the concerned person’s lineage would not be carried forward and will die with him. Once the Mandir is complete, Kalash pratishtha is done along with Dev (Pran) Pratishtha. When the Mandir is not complete, Dev Pratishtha is done there followed by Kalash Pratishtha on the completion of the Mandir as per auspicious time.”
The esteemed astrologer goes on to state citations from a number of Hindu scriptures that approve the Pran Pratishtha so far as certain conditions are met. He further states in his reply:
“Accordingly, until and unless the doors of the temple are not built, the temple is not covered, vastu shaanti is not done, Masha Bali and Payasa Bali is not performed and Brahman Bhojan is not performed, Pran Pratishtha cannot happen. As per social requirements, Griha Pravesh is also done when at least one floor of the structure is complete and vastu shaanti is performed. After this, the topmost part of the structure is built. Meaning that it is not necessary that vastu pravesh can be done only when the entire structure is complete. Dev Mandir (temple of the deity) is Dev Griha (home of the deity) meaning the rules of consecration and inaugurating a house will be applied to the temple. Before Pran Pratishtha, vastu shanti, balidaan and Brahman Bhojan will be performed in the Ram Mandir. The doors of the temple have been attached. Which is why there is nothing wrong in performing the consecration. Once the temple is entirely constructed, the Kalash Pratishtha will be performed as per scriptures.”
Sanskrit scholar and author Nityānanda Miśra has also supported the evidence cited by Shri Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid and has also cited other scriptures that allow the Pran Pratishtha before the completion of the temple structure.
Citing 161st shloka from chapter 33 titled ‘Linga Lakshanam” from the Hindu book on vastushastra, Mayamatam, Miśra states that if the size of the Shiva Linga idol is large then it should be consecrated where it is dwelling.
He cites that if the temple is half-built then a middle-sized Shiva Linga idol should be placed and when the temple structure is complete then small Shiva Linga should be consecrated by a qualified individual.
“So this is based on applicability. When the Shiva Linga idol will be too big then its consecration cannot be done after the temple structure is complete because how will it be taken through the doors? So its consecration would have to be done before the temple structure is complete,” the author said.
He concluded adding that the discussion on the Pran Pratishtha should be on the grounds of what the scriptures say and the discussion should not end by merely saying that the consecration is against the rituals and scriptures.
Another counter to the reservation that Pran Pratishtha cannot be done until the Ram Mandir construction is complete was delivered by Amit Tripathi, author of the renowned “Shiva Trilogy”.
He stated that in ancient times, temple construction often spanned centuries, emphasizing that the Garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) is done then an idol is placed and ‘Pran Pratishtha’ can happen.
Responding to a question over Congress allegations that the Pran Pratishtha is being done in an incomplete temple and the word used by the Congress is ‘Paap’, Amish Tripathi pointed out three major pooja ceremonies that happen.
“I don’t want to comment on politics. But in my understanding, my grandfather was a Pandit in Varanasi, he used to do Pran pratishtha poojas and he was a teacher too at Banaras Hindu University. What I learned from my grandfather was that at the beginning of the construction itself, a major ceremony that happens is to mark out the Garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum). That’s the first major Pooja and the second is that when the Garbhagriha is complete, then the idol is placed in there and once that is done, ‘Pran Pratishtha’ can happen,” he said.
He emphasized that ancient temples, such as the Kailasa Mahadev temple, often took decades or even more than a century to build. In these cases, the architects knew they wouldn’t be alive to see the completion.
“There are no ancient temples in Northern India as they all were destroyed but you can find them in the South. It’s not about just one temple, it’s about multiple temples in the complex. So the third ceremony is when the entire temple complex gets completed and the main temple spires also get completed, one can perform the ‘Purna Kalasha’ at the top. I am assuming that the Garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) is complete. From my understanding, I think Pran Pratishtha can happen,” he added.
Pankaj Saxena, co-founder and Director of Culture Research for Brhat shared extensive information on X, formerly Twitter, in this context. He writes that it is a misconception that Pran Pratishtha of Shri Ram in Ram Mandir cannot be done before the temple is complete.
2. Firstly, the core essence of temple building that one gets from studying any Agama is that the temple is built around the deity, not the other way around. The kṣetra radiates from the brahmasthana which is decided upon the vastupurusha sthapana.
— Pankaj Saxena | पंकज सक्सेना (@PankajSaxena84) January 13, 2024
He says that Hindu scriptures state that the temple is built around the deity and not the other way around. “The kṣetra (area) radiates from the brahmasthana (spot where Deity is placed) which is decided upon the vastupurusha sthapana (installation of the complex).”
He further writes, “Secondly, as the great temple expert, iconographist and Puranic scholar @artist_rama said, prana pratishtha can be done anytime after the garbha-griha is ready. Completion of the entire superstructure is not necessary.”
Saxena states that no Hindu scripture prohibits the Pran Pratishtha before the entire temple is complete. He cited examples given by other X users to say that several Hindu temples in India in the past have been consecrated before the entire structure was complete.
According to Hindu temple architecture expert Ramakrishna Kongalla, it is easier to place the Kalasha (Holy pitcher) atop the topmost roof of the temple if the vigraha (statue) is already placed. Ramakrishna Kongalla is the Assistant Professor in Tourism at the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Gwalior.
Saxena listed the names of such Hindu temples which had Pran Pratishtha before the structure was complete. These included Matangeshvara temple in Khajuraho where the Shiva Lingam is much bigger than the temple gates and thus the vigraha was consecrated first and the temple was built around it.
Similarly, in the Bhaskaresvhara temple in Bhubaneswar, the vigraha was consecrated first and temple built around it. The Shri Ulgalanda Perumala temple dedicated to the Trivikrama svaroopa of the deity first had the vigraha consecrated and temple built around it after.
“Rock cut temples are also a testimony to that. Most of the rock cut temples are excavated top down. In that case that part of the temple is built first which is higher, so jagati and adhisthana of the temple emerge later, far after the vigraha emerges and is consecrated,” Pankaj Saxena wrote.
He points out that several such temples built by the Hoysala and Chalukya dynasties have incomplete shikhara to this day but they are active and fully functional temples.
