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Pran Pratishtha: Many top seers from Prayagraj among special invitees
Justice Giridhar Malviya, the grandson of Bharat Ratna Mahamana Pt Madan Mohan Malviya, UP cabinet minister Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’ and Arjuna awardee shuttler Abhinn Shyam Gupta are among other eminent invitees
Many a noted seer from Prayagraj are among the holy men invited for the Pran Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony of Ram Lalla idol at the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22.
On that day, the month-long annual Magh Mela-2024 fair would already be underway and this will be the first time when many prominent seers from different camps set up on the Sangam banks will not be in Prayagraj from January 20 to 22.
They will reach Ayodhya two days in advance to witness the grand event. The parking locations on Google Map have also been sent to the seers invited for consecration along with a request to arrive well before the day of the event.
Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, a member of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, leads the names of the seers who would be gracing the event from Sangam city. Besides, member of Uttar Pradesh Kinnar Welfare Board and Mahamandaleshwar of Kinnar Akhara—a monastic order of transgender seers—Kaushalyanand Giri ‘Tina Ma’ has also received an invitation.
“I am the first transgender in the country who has been invited for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony and feel honoured to have received a formal invite,” she said. Mahant Hari Giri, patron of Juna Akhara and general secretary of the Akhil Bhartiya Akhada Parishad (ABAP), is already in Ayodhya and will come to Prayagraj only after attending the ceremony on January 22.
Mahant Balbeer Giri, head of the Baghambari Math and head priest of Sangam’s Bade Hanuman Temple, has also been invited to be part of the ceremony. He will leave for Ayodhya on January 20.
Mahamandaleshwar Santosh Das ‘Satua Baba’ from Khak Chowk Prabandh Samiti, Swami Maheshashram and Swami Brahmashram from Dandibada have also received the invitation. All of them confirmed that they will attend the ceremony.
A few other eminent people of Prayagraj too will witness the consecration ceremony. Justice Giridhar Malviya, the grandson of Bharat Ratna Mahamana Pt Madan Mohan Malviya and Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University, UP cabinet minister Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’, Arjuna awardee shuttler Abhinn Shyam Gupta and director, Govind Ballabh Pant Social Science Institute, Jhunsi, Prof Badri Narayan have all received formal invitations to be part of the event.
Confirming it, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Kashi Pranth’s Prachar Pramukh Morarji Tripathi said other invitees include entrepreneur Jagdish Gulati, Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Kashi Pranth president and former IG KP Singh, Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission member Haresh Pratap and former Chief Justice of India VN Khare.
