After being forced to not invite Hindu saints and seers to some mega events – Ram Janmabhoomi foundation stone-laying ceremony, unveiling of Adi Shankaracharya’s statue and inauguration of redevelopment projects in Kedarnath– due to Covid-necessitated protocols, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s government in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh has requested over 2,000 prominent mahants, seers, saints and Hindu religious leaders to attend the grand opening of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat has also been invited.
The inauguration will be done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 13. Earlier, the number of saints invited from across the country was pegged at 550, which has now risen to 2,000. States have been asked to send in more names if they think that the UP government should host them.
Of those who have been invited to the event, a few of the prominent saints and seers include Govind Dev Giri, Jagadguru Shankaracharya Karveer Peeth, Shankaranand Saraswati of Gyaneshwar Mutt, Mahant Ram Kishore Das ji Maharaj of Panch Digamber Akhada from Maharashtra, Morari Bapu, Ramesh Bhai Ojha, Baba Ramdev, Avdheshanand ji Maharaj, Sadhvi Ritambhara, Dayanand Saraswati ji Maharaj, Mahant Balaknath, Mahant Shivshankar Das ji Maharaj of Shri Mahant Digamber Ani Akhada from Gujarat, Swami Satyananda Swaraswathi ji Maharaj of Sree Rama Mission, Mata Amritanandamayi from Kerala, Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Shri Swarnavalli Mahasamsthan Mutt, Sri Siddalinga Mahaswamiji of Sri Siddhaganga Mutt from Karnataka, Sai Datta Naganada Saraswathi of Sri Datta Peetam, Subudhendra Theertha Swamiji of Mantralaya Sri Raghvendra Swamy Mutt, and Yogananda Saraswathi of Gopala Krishna Matam from Andhra and Telangana.
The move, to invite Hindu Sant Samaj (seers’ community), comes weeks after the Narendra Modi government was criticised by the opposition for live streaming of the Prime Minister’s recent visit to Kedarnath temple where he also unveiled Adi Shankaracharya’s statue.
The BJP had then invited sadhus in a nationwide celebration to virtually join the Kedarnath event. This was also adopted during the Ram Janmabhoomi foundation stone-laying ceremony by the PM; however, many saints were upset for not being invited to the historic event awaited by the Hindu population for years.
This would be the first time when the government will host almost all prominent saints and seers from across the country for a historic religious event of such a scale after the Covid-induced lockdown.
Many in the BJP believe that the Sadhu Samaj congregating to celebrate the glory of Lord Shiva will give an impetus to the government’s image and help in consolidating Hindutva core votes just ahead of the UP elections in early 2022. It is being seen as a big push by the party to work on the Hindutva plank as well.
“The development of our religious places is a grand task that was kept in abeyance for years. The Sadhu Samaj has been eagerly waiting for the revival of our glorious past. Who else is more deserving than them to be part of such events? We could not invite the majority of them earlier during Ram Janmabhoomi or the inauguration of redevelopment projects in Kedarnath. Lord Shiva’s Dham has given us an opportunity to bring everyone together to celebrate our traditions,” added a senior party functionary.
As the programme is religious, instructions have been given to not use the party’s symbol in the temples where the event is scheduled to be celebrated.
UP will go to polls early next year as the BJP looks to retain power in the state that sends the maximum number of Lok Sabha lawmakers (80) to Parliament.
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