The head seer of Jagannath Puri Math, Shankaracharya Swami Nishchalanand Saraswati, has questioned the way in which the Ram temple consecration ceremony is going to be held in Ayodhya. He said that the consecration of the idol in the Ram temple should follow the ways of the scriptures.

Swami Nishchalanand Saraswati also asked whether he should only clap while the PM performs the rituals.

“Modi Ji will inaugurate, touch the idol. If PM Modi is performing the consecration, should I applaud there, chanting victory slogans? There is also a dignity to my position. According to the scriptures, the consecration of the idol in the Ram Temple should be done in a certain way. Why should I participate in such an event?” he said.

In a video which appeared on  X, the seer could also be seen mimicking the way the PM greets people.

Swami Nishchalanand Saraswati, on being asked whether he got an invitation for the ceremony, said that he was aware of being invited with one additional guest; however, he rebuffed the invitation, saying that ‘he would have rejected the invitation even if he were to be invited with one hundred men.’

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to inaugurate the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22.