The Shankaracharya of the north peeth, Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, has called for the removal of Champat Rai from the Sri Ramjanmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust as he is not a Ramanandi.
The Ramanand is one of the largest sects spread across north India and Nepal. Ram and other incarnations of Vishnu are worshiped by the sect which follows strict rules of meditation and asceticism. It is also known as Ramayats and Ramavats.
A majority of Hindu immigrants to Trinidad and Tobago also belong to Vaishnav sects such as the Ramanandi. Hindus in Trinidad and Tobago currently practice based on the teachings of Ramanuja, the founder of the sect.
Tulsidas who composed the Ramcharita Manas was also a member of this sect.
Rai is a householder and thus not a Ramanandi. However, if that is the basis of Rai’s disqualification then all but two members of the trust are ineligible for being part of it. Only Mahant Nritya Gopal Das and Mahant Dhirendra Das are Ramanandis.
The Shankaracharya’s objection is based on the fact that as prayers and rituals are conducted as per Ramanandi practices, only Ramanandis are eligible to be members of the trust. He has also criticised the trust for ignoring Ramanandis.
The ascetic wing of the sect constitutes the largest Vaishnava monastic order. There are two main subgroups of the order—the Tyagis and the Nagas—the latter being the militant wing.
A member of the trust said that the Shankaracharya’s only aim was to stir controversy before the consecration ceremony of January 22. “The worship of the Lord still takes places in accordance with Ramanandi rituals (which treat him as an infant). Moreover, the Ram Mandir movement did not belong to any one sect. All manner of Hindus came together for it,” he said.
The member also added that the present trust was formed on the basis of the Supreme Court judgment of 2019. “No one is above the highest court,” he said.
