The Pran Pratishtha ceremony for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, scheduled for January 22, will see the presence of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat within the garbha griha. Prior to the event, Bhagwat emphasized the historical significance of the occasion and called for an end to the longstanding conflicts surrounding the Ayodhya dispute.
In an article originally published in Marathi, Bhagwat traced India’s enduring struggle against invaders spanning 1,500 years, highlighting the systematic destruction of religious sites by foreign forces to weaken and demoralize society.
Bhagwat pointed out that the invaders aimed to plunder and, in some cases, colonize, but attacks from the West in the name of Islam brought complete destruction and alienation. He connected the demolition of the Shri Ram temple in Ayodhya to this strategy, emphasizing that it wasn’t limited to one temple but part of a global war strategy.
Discussing the attempts to control the birthplace of Lord Ram, Bhagwat referred to the failed 1857 War of Independence and subsequent British efforts to divide Hindus and Muslims. He also touched upon the post-independence legal battles and the Ram Janmabhoomi movement that gained momentum in the 1980s, culminating in the Supreme Court’s 2019 decision in favor of the Hindu side.
The Ram Janmabhoomi movement was a socio-political campaign revolving around the disputed Ayodhya site, believed by Hindus to be Lord Ram’s birthplace. It gained prominence in the late 20th century, peaking with the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992. The legal battle persisted for decades until the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in 2019, allowing the construction of a Hindu temple at the disputed site and allocating alternate land for a mosque.
Bhagwat concluded with a call for unity and social reconstruction, envisioning a society embodying the virtues of Lord Ram. He urged an end to the conflict, bitterness, and the reconstruction of Ayodhya in people’s minds as a place free from conflict—a sentiment echoing the significance of the upcoming Pran Pratishtha ceremony.
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