Ram Temple foundation's 5th anniv highlights Gorakhnath Mutt's role
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Lucknow: This year, Aug 5 will mark the fifth anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. For the Gorakhnath Mutt, the day is crucial, with three generations having fought for the temple.
These include the current head of the Mutt and Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath
, his mentor, the late Mahant Avaidyanath, and his grand mentor, the late Mahant Digvijay Nath.
In 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the ceremony for the temple's construction, an event attended by Yogi Adityanath along with seers, religious leaders and other dignitaries.
As CM, Yogi Adityanath has focused especially on the development of Ayodhya, promoting it as a hub of religious tourism across the world.
With the temple nearing completion, Ayodhya is already linked with a network of rail, road and air, with an international airport inaugurated there in 2023. The city has been beautified along with the ghats along the Saryu River, and various other development projects are in progress.
Mahant Avaidyanath was among the most prominent leaders of the Ram Temple movement.
"Due to his universal acceptance, he was chosen to lead the movement.
His lifelong dream was to see a grand and divine temple of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya. Undoubtedly, he would be very pleased today, especially seeing that the foundation of the Ram Temple, laid five years ago, was done in the presence of his disciple, Yogi Adityanath, and that the temple is nearing completion," said a govt spokesperson.
The mutt has had a significant presence in most events related to the temple movement. During the manifestation of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya in Dec 1949, Mahant Digvijay Nath was present in Ayodhya. When the temple's lock was opened in 1986, Mahant Avaidyanath was present in Ayodhya.
After the Supreme Court's decision to allow the construction of the temple, Yogi Adityanath was responsible for moving Ram Lalla from a tent to a silver throne in a temporary structure.
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