On 22nd January, Bharatiya Janata Party’s stalwart Lal Krishna Advani is scheduled to travel to Ayodhya to witness the Pran Pratishtha of the Ram Lalla at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Ahead of the grand ceremony, he said that fate had decided that Ram Mandir would be built, and PM Modi would be representing 140 crore Indians at the event. Talking about his Rath Yatra that led to the massive Ram Mandir movement, he said that he was just a charioteer.
LK Advani congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accomplishing the dream of building the grand temple in a special interview with the monthly Hindi publication “Rashtra Dharma” which will be published on 15th January. Furthermore, he referred to PM Modi as “the devotee chosen by Lord Ram to renovate his temple” for overseeing the construction of the sacred place.
The former deputy prime minister added, “Now when PM Modi consecrates the temple, he will represent every citizen of India” and hoped that the temple would “inspire all Indians to adopt the qualities of Lord Ram.”
He declared that destiny had already decided there would be a Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya long before it happened. He identified himself as the “charioteer” who led the “rath yatra” which started in Gujarat’s Somnath on 25th September 1990 and ended with the demolition of the Babri Masjid on 6 December 1992 while he was at the site.
He stated, “At that time (in September 1990, a few days after the yantra began) I felt destiny had decided that one day a grand Ram temple would be built in Ayodhya. Now it is only a matter of time. And, a few days after the ‘rath yatra’ began, I realised I was just a ‘charioteer.’ The main messenger of the Rath Yatra was the chariot itself and was worthy of worship because it was going to Shri Ram’s birthplace Ayodhya to fulfill the sacred purpose of building the temple.”
The ‘rath yatra’ spearheaded by him and another seasoned party member Murali Manohar Joshi turned into a major movement that ultimately resulted in the demolition of the disputed structure. They had no idea at the time that the initiative spurred on by the belief in Lord Ram would become a national movement with PM Modi supporting him as a karsevak at the time. LK Advani appreciated his vital participation during the 10,000-kilometer journey corresponding to his persistent devotion to the construction of Shri Ram Lalla’s temple.
The ex-minister of home affairs called it “the most decisive and transformative event of his political career” and noted that it allowed him to “re-discover India” and himself. He talked about the support he received on the first leg of his journey from Gujarat to Maharashtra as well as in later stages. “We did not know (then) that our faith in Lord Ram, with which we started the yatra, would take the form of a movement in the country,” the Bharatiya Janata Party veteran mentioned.
He highlighted, “During the yatra, there were many experiences which influenced my life. Unknown villagers from remote villages would come to me, overwhelmed with emotion after seeing the chariot. They would salute and chant ‘Ram’ and go away. This was a message that there were many people who dreamt of a Ram Mandir.”
The article is titled “Building Ram Mandir-Realization of a Divine Dream.” A special edition of the magazine featuring the interview will be prepared and distributed to those who have been invited to the consecration event.
Ram devotees’ long-suppressed faith was rekindled across the country by the historic “rath yatra.” The Bharatiya Janata Party statesman, a prominent member of the Ram Janmbhoomi campaign and a former head of the party was instrumental in reawakening people’s passion and belief. He is now looking forward to visiting Ayodhya in order to observe the temple’s magnificence and its auspicious inauguration event.
There had been earlier claims that 90-year-old Murli Manohar Joshi and 96-year-old LK Advani weren’t going to attend the program due to health issues. However, Vishva Hindu Parishad leader Alok Kumar confirmed that the latter is going to be a part of the monumental event.
On 22nd January at noon, the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust will install the Ram Lalla idol at the temple’s sanctum sanctorum in the presence of a select few including Hindu saints and seers, important figures from the fields of movies, sports, business and politics as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Family members of karsevaks who sacrificed their lives in the Ram Mandir movement along with families of the labourers who erected the temple will also be present there.
