The head priest of Hyderabad’s Chilkur Balaji temple, C.S. Rangarajan, and his father, Dr Soundararajan, former head priest, are considered legal luminaries with a high scientific temperament and exert considerable influence in the region. The two were also a part of the Ram janmabhoomi movement in Ayodhya. The Daily Guardian meets Rangarajan on the issue of the foundation stonelaying ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Excerpts of the interview:
Q. After years of legal battle, the ground-breaking ceremony for the temple is finally going to happen. What are your thoughts on this?
A. It’s a great blessing for devotees of Lord Ram all over the world. Lord Ram has finally won a long legal battle through a constitutional process. The judiciary has recognised the legal rights of the deity. We are all thankful to the judiciary for correcting a decades-old wrong. We had doubted whether we would see the Ram temple in Ayodhya. But we are thankful to the Government of India. With the consensus and involvement of all sections of the society, the temple must be built as soon as possible.
The sreeranga kshetram is housing Lord Ranganath Swamy who belongs to Lord Rama’s dynasty. They are sending the divine mud of the Kaveri river, along with which mud from the southern Ayodhya, that is, Badrachalam, which is on the banks of river Godavari will be sent. We have planned many programmes on 5 August at Badrachalam. Ram is the culture of our country. Countries like South Korea, Cambodia and Indonesia all share a connection with Ayodhya.
Q. What according to you would be the significance of this event? Considering that the temple is getting constructed unopposed, would you say that this symbolises India’s unity?
A. Lord Ram is an embodiment of dharma itself. Ram’s personification is acceptable to all sections of society. Other faiths appreciate it too. Muslims also contribute to the construction of temples. So everyone is involved. I have seen on TV how Muslims in Ayodhya are stitching clothes for Lord Ram’s idol. This is the cultural identity of the India.
Q. Given the Covid pandemic, do you think a physical ceremony is the right way or should there be a virtual ceremony?
A. Even if the pandemic exists, the silanyas and bhoomi pujan cannot be done virtually. But the government is taking all precautions now to stop Covid-19. Which is why the number of participants is restricted. My father and I participated in the Ayodhya Ram janmabhoomi Andolan. If there were no Covid-19, we and our family would have gone to Ayodhya.
I don’t find anything wrong in a physical ceremony. Unless we lay the foundation stone, we cannot construct a temple.
Q Since you have fought previously for Padmanabhaswamy too, what are the rights of the deity in the Indian Constitution?
A. The rights of deities have a question mark hanging after the judgment on the Sabarimala temple. The Supreme Court passed one unfortunate judgment and we pleaded for that. We went for a review. In the Ananta Padmanabhaswamy judgment, the deity was considered the ruler of the temple. But the judgment on Ayodhya says that the deity has rights to satisfy his spiritual purposes, and these rights have been recognised.
We have written a letter to the President of India asking him to recognise the constitutional rights of deities: Once the Ram temple is constructed and Ram is invoked in his idol, what are his rights? Unless we provide exclusive rights like how worship should be done as per his wishes and if citizenship is given to the deity, the problem will be solved.
Q. What will you say to politicians like Asaduddin Owaisi who have slammed the PM for attending the event?
A. I request Owaisi to rethink his statement. He should not have only a religious perspective. Ram is not a religious figure. He is the culture of India and an identity for the nation. Ram is part of our legacy. So, one should not think only in terms of religion.
Q. What will you say to seers who say the muhurat isn’t auspicious for the event?
A. There are differing views, but I would say it is better late than never. For Ram there is no muhurtham. Sri Rama is beyond things like a muhurat. People did not consider muhurat before destroying the temple. The moment we start constructing the temple is the right muhurtam. Besides, this is the month of shravana, it’s an auspicious month.