January 22, 2024, will perhaps go down in the annals of history as a landmark event (if not a milestone) in the history of modern India. For, it will not just mark the restoration of a place of worship that was destroyed and usurped by some zealot about five centuries ago, but the redemption of an ancient civilizational thought and philosophy emanating from an ancient faith that had been much reviled and ridiculed over the centuries by those seeking a totalitarian monotheistic world order, and which unfortunately hasn’t stopped to date.
To those not conversant with the deep philosophical and spiritual import that He holds in the lives of millions of people, Lord Rama may be just another mythical character like ancient Egyptian or Greek gods and goddesses, all of whom have long been consigned to dustbins of history and pushed into distant public memory. This explains their utter disdain for not just the Prana Pratisha (consecration) of Ram Lalla at Ram Mandir, Ayodhya, but anything that is even remotely connected with Sanatan Dharma. But, these people fail to realise and hence acknowledge the fact that Lord Rama like so many Sanatani gods and goddesses had been a central figure in many cultures throughout the entire Asian continent for centuries. He has inspired people across diverse communities, leading to many localised versions of tales of Lord Rama, His life and philosophy. This explains the jubilations and the electrifying atmosphere currently being witnessed among a huge section of people not just in the country but in many parts of the world ahead of the Prana Pratisha of Ram Lalla.
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For, besides being deeply revered for being an avatar of Lord Vishnu, Lord Rama is also looked upon by millions as Maryada Purushottam (perfect man). It is to be noted that Lord Rama isn’t considered Maryada Purushottam for his valour or for defeating Ravana or occupying new territories, but for his life philosophy. He didn’t annex Lanka after defeating Ravana, nor looted the wealth there, but returned to Ayodhya by telling His younger brother Lakshmana: “Mother and motherland are superior to heaven). Similarly, in a world where kingdoms across the world through the ages witnessed fratricides over thrones, Lord Rama was the only royal prince who sacrificed the throne in favour of his younger brother Bharata. No wonder, He is held in such high esteem by multitudes. Hence, the Prana Pratisha will not just mark the consecration of a temple, but a redemption of a majority faith after almost 1,300 years of foreign invasions and proselytising.
What is however noteworthy about this whole exercise is that the redemption came through a prolonged legal process spanning over a century. Despite an overwhelming majority in the country desiring rebuilding of Ram Mandir ever since it was destroyed by an iconoclast, it did not happen through the use of brute force – a stark contrast to how things happen in many Islamic countries. For instance, Hagia Sophia, a historical landmark in Turkey’s Istanbul city, was converted into a mosque through a presidential decree in 2020. No questions asked. Once a church, it became a mosque after the fall of Constantinople in the hands of Ottoman Turks, and subsequently became a museum, before being made a mosque again through the last presidential order. Viewed against such a backdrop, the process of reconstructing Ram Mandir in India has indeed been remarkable and showed the world how people of majority faith exercised restraint and painstakingly waited for over a century for a court verdict to finally right the wrong that had been committed upon them. There is perhaps no such parallel elsewhere in the world, which has unfortunately become accustomed to witnessing bloodbath in the name of religion.
Further, the upcoming event is significant from another standpoint. The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will only be the second major Sanatani (aka Hindu) temple to be rebuilt in India after several centuries. As per records, following the large-scale destruction and desecration of mandirs by marauding Islamic invaders across the country, the followers of Sanatan Dharma had practically stopped building new mandirs or reconstructing the damaged ones for fear of inviting the wrath of the aggressors – barring in the southern part of the country where the mandirs remained largely intact as Islamic invaders could not get much of a toehold. Hence, after the construction of Laxminarayan or Birla Mandir by the Birla family in Delhi under British rule, the famed Somnath Mandir was the first temple reconstructed (inaugurated in 1951) in many centuries. And now, the Ram Mandir will be only the second such temple to be rebuilt. This holds a huge significance for a vast multitude of people following the ancient Sanatan Dharma in the country. The pain and hurt feeling borne by the Sanatanis through centuries of humiliation, persecution and subjugation in the hands of Islamic zealots and proselytisers will now finally dissipate, not wholly but at least substantially.
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Actually, not just in India. Ever since the wiping out of ancient culture and civilisations across continents at the behest of religious zealots and colonial powers through the centuries, nowhere has an ancient temple been ever rebuilt. Thus, the Prana Pratisha of Ram Lalla holds immense significance for followers of all ancient and surviving Dharmic faiths and traditions across the globe. This will thus be symbolic for reasons more than one.
Further, it will mark the redemption of an ancient Dharmic philosophy that has always been beyond parochialism. It will mark the redemption of religious tolerance, pluralism and inclusiveness – as opposed to the organised but totalitarian faith systems – that have always been at the root of Bharatiya sanskriti (culture) for eons, thereby redeeming the true idea of Bharatavarsa. No wonder, scores of non-Sanatanis too have joined in the celebration of the upcoming event. The bottom line is, that January 22, 2024, will mark the redemption of a human spirit that is universal.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of Northeast Now.
Anirban Choudhury is a senior journalist based in Guwahati. He may be reached at:[email protected]