Ram temple chief priest's strong reaction after Ram Lalla idol photo leaked online: 'Should be investigated'
There has been a panic among officials after photo of Ram Lalla was leaked from sanctum sanctorum before consecration of Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22.
Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, on Saturday reacted sharply after the first image of the new Ram Lalla idol became public on Friday as anticipation built up for the consecration ceremony at the Ayodhya temple on January 22.
Speaking on the Ram temple ceremony, Acharya Satyendra Das said, "…where the new idol is, the rituals of prana pratishtha are being performed... The body of the idol has been covered with clothes for now... The idol that has been revealed with open eyes is not correct... The eyes will not open before the pran pratishtha... If such an image is appearing, an investigation should be conducted to determine who did it."
There have been concerns among officials after the photo of Ram Lalla was leaked from Shri Ram Janmabhoomi sanctum sanctorum before the consecration of Ram temple. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is now seriously considering taking action against the culprits for leaking the photo of Ram Lalla.
The trust suspects that the photo of Ram Lalla that has gone viral on social media has been done by officials engaged in construction work at the temple site. The trust is preparing to take action against the officers who made Ramlala's photo viral.
An image of the Ram Lalla idol, carved in black stone sourced from Karnataka, with its eyes uncovered had gone viral on social media on Friday. In the photo, the idol is adorned with a garland of roses, going by the picture released by the Vishva Hindu Parishad. Ram Lalla, the child Ram, is in the standing posture.
The new 51-inch idol, carved by sculptor Arun Yogiraj of Mysuru, was placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple on Thursday afternoon, brought there on a truck on Wednesday night.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the January 22 ‘pran-pratishtha – the ceremony to consecrate the Lord Ram idol. The Ram temple is expected to open to the public on January 23.
The consecration ceremony will begin at 12.20pm and is expected to end at 1pm. Modi will then address a gathering of over 7,000 people at the venue -– and lakhs are expected to watch the event live on television.
(With inputs from Pankaj Jaiswal in Lucknow)