How do the Shankaracharyas view the VHP-led moves to build the Ram temple at Ayodhya?
There is nothing unique about the temple they (the VHP) are building in bits and pieces. It looks like any other mandir. It is not grand enough to be put up at so sacred a place as the Ramjanmabhoomi. The temple that we have in mind is modelled on the Ram mandir at Angkor Vat in Cambodia. It was built by the Chalukya kings in 11 AD. What is special about it is that its architecture is Aryan. Before the Muslim invaders destroyed them, all temples in North India were built in the Aryan style. When they were re-built, they were done in the Dravidian style. The VHP mandir is in that style. You look at the Birla mandir and look at the VHP mandir. What’s so different about it? What we and all other holy men want is a grand temple to Ram built in the Aryan tradition. The temple we have in mind will cost Rs 100 crore. The VHP says it has about Rs 6.31 crore in hand after the initial expenses. What temple do they hope to construct with that little money?
It is said that the VHP has collected a lot more money than it admits.
To tell you the truth, these VHP people are not honest. They are not telling the truth as far as fund collection goes. If you read my letter to Vishnu Dalmiya, you will know why we have our doubts. The VHP has only accounted for the money which came from every village which sent bricks for building the mandir. But they have little to say about the bricks and the donations which came from abroad. People had sent huge sums of money (the Shankaracharya letter mentions over Rs 500 crore). All this has gone into the VHP kitty. No one seems to have the time to investigate. I am sure that if we go abroad, people will come up and tell us how much has been donated.
Do the other Shankaracharyas agree with your plans to build the temple?
There is no disagreement between us on that count. We are all agreed that the temple which should come up at the Ramjan-mabhoomi should be on the scale and design which we have decided upon.
So the Shankaracharyas do not approve of the pre-fabricated temple that is being built.
We are not at all for it. The VHP should take the bricks away and build whatever else they want to build. But not the Ram mandir. Our thinking is that since our temple will be the one that will eventually be built, then what the VHP is doing is just a waste of time and money. It is also unnecessarily generating a lot of tension. But it seems they are doing this out of some political necessity. People who had supported the BJP on the promise that it would build the temple were getting restless. So something had to be done. The people had to be told that the work is going on. Then, all those Indians living abroad had also begun to wonder what was happening to the money they had donated. Ironically, when the Congress raised the issue of the VHP building the temple in Parliament it was only helping the VHP. Now everyone believes that the work is under way. The Opposition must be careful in politicising the issue. If this government is brought down on the mandir issue, then it will only help the BJP.
Is the BJP trying to create a divide between the Shankaracharyas?
We all want a mandir at Ramjanmabhoomi. There is no second opinion on this. So we should not have any problem with the BJP. But the trouble is that the BJP wants us to tag along behind it. It wants us to toe the party line.This is something we are not willing to do. I am talking about the real Shankara-charyas and not the fake ones that the RSS and VHP are trying to foist. They will, of course, be willing to accept whatever the BJP or the RSS says. As far as we are concerned, we feel that our four peeths, which have a 2,500-year-old history, have done more for the Hindu cause than the RSS which was only formed 60 years back. So, if these people open shop in the name of the Hindu cause and ask us to be their shopkeepers, then it is not possible for us to accept it. As for unity, let me tell you that the Shankaracharyas are united although every effort is being made to divide us. Yesterday’s meeting (June 18) was attended by all four peeths. And we were all unanimous that the fake Shankaracharyas must be exposed.
What do you make of Sonia Gandhi’s apology for the mosque’s demolition?
The demolition was wrong. But I don’t think that there was any need to go from place to place giving apologies. By apologising you are only giving credence to the claim that there was a mosque while we Hindus believe that there was a temple. Anyway, I don’t know whether Sonia was speaking her own mind. I am told the chamchas around her write her speeches. She just reads it out. Anyway, how can she apologise for her husband who opened up the Ram temple issue? How can she apologise on behalf of her mother-in-law for Operation Bluestar? My appeal to Soniaji is that she should accept the demand of every Hindu of this country and help us build the temple. Since she is neither a Hindu nor a Muslim, she can’t be accused of any bias by taking that bold decision.
Do you think that the mandir issue has been politicised beyond repair?
It has been politicised. It is only politicians who want to keep the issue alive for their own ends. At one point, before the demolition, I had started talking to Muslim leaders trying to convince them that there was first a temple and then the mosque had come up. I had evidence to prove this. They were coming around to the view. A meeting with Muslim leaders to sort out the problem amicably had even been arranged. But two days before this, the kar seva was announced. There were obvious political gains to be made from the mandir. This is the plank on which the BJP has built itself. They’ve come to power at the Centre on this plank.
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