Ayodhya, Jul 22 (PTI) Nirmohi Akhara chief and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust member Dinendra Das on Wednesday said the son of late trustee Bimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra should be among the three persons appointed to the body, ahead of its crucial meeting later in the day.
Speaking to PTI before the meeting, Das said he would propose the name of Yatindra Mohan Pratap Mishra, son of the late trustee, for one of the three vacant positions.
“I will also place before the Trust that the temple’s rituals and system of worship should strictly follow the Vaishnav-Ramanandi tradition,” he said.
The tradition under the Vaishnav sect worships Lord Ram as the supreme being and traces its lineage to saint Ramananda.
The Ram temple, like most other temples in Ayodhya, follows this tradition, under which daily rituals and other religious ceremonies are performed. However, temple management sources said there have been objections from some quarters over adoption of non-Ramanandi traditions (Ramanujacharya tradition, which is largely followed in south India).
Das expressed hope that the body would induct people capable of strengthening the administration of the Ram temple and taking its management to greater heights.
“We expect that those chosen as trustees will work sincerely and contribute to the better management of the temple,” he said.
Asked whether there had been any discussion on bringing back former general secretary Champat Rai into the Trust, Das said he had no information on the issue.
“Whatever the Trust collectively decides will be acceptable,” he said.
Referring to the purification ritual initiated in the aftermath of the alleged donation embezzlement, Das said the “shuddhikaran” ceremony would continue for another two to three days.
“The purification ritual being performed as an act of atonement has already started showing positive results, and improvements are becoming visible,” he said.
Das also said that with the rapid development of infrastructure in Ayodhya, devotees were now able to have ‘darshan’ of Lord Ram with much greater ease than before.
The Trust was scheduled to hold two meetings on Wednesday — a special session at 3 pm in the Ram temple complex followed by a regular meeting at 4 pm at Maniram Chhawani, the residence of Trust president Nritya Gopal Das.
The meetings were expected to deliberate on the appointment of a new general secretary, fill three vacant trustee posts and discuss the appointment of the temple’s first chief executive officer (CEO).
Discussions are also likely on strengthening financial transparency, the handling of offerings and other administrative matters in the wake of the alleged Ram temple donation theft case.
The three vacancies arose following the resignations of former general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra after the donation theft controversy, and the death of trustee Bimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra.
The Trust is also expected to review measures initiated after the alleged embezzlement of devotees’ offerings came to light earlier this year, in which eight people have been arrested, and cash, gold, silver, foreign currency and other valuables recovered during the investigation. PTI KIS PRK
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