The senior Congress leaders are unlikely to attend the ceremony, invitations were sent individually to Kharge,and Gandhi, the sources said.
The Ram Temple consecration ceremony happened on 22 January. (Creative Commons)
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and party leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have received invitations for the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on 22 January.
Sources said that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust sent the invitations to them. But the senior Congress leaders are unlikely to attend the ceremony, they added.
Former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda have also received invitations for the function.
The invitations, the sources said, were delivered by a delegation of those associated with the Trust.
BJP veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, who were at the forefront of the agitation for the Ram temple in Ayodhya, are unlikely to attend next month’s consecration ceremony due to their health and age, the temple Trust said on Monday, 18 December.
“Both are elders of the family and considering their age, they were requested not to come, which was accepted by both,” Ram Temple Trust general secretary Champat Rai told reporters.
Giving a detailed list of the invitees, Rai said that Advani and Joshi might not attend the consecration ceremony due to health and age-related reasons. Advani is now 96 and Joshi will turn 90 next month.
Spiritual leader Dalai Lama, Mata Amritanandamayi of Kerala, yoga guru Baba Ramdev, cine stars Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Arun Govil, film director Madhur Bhandarkar, and prominent industrialists such as Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, famous painter Vasudev Kamat, ISRO Director Nilesh Desai, and many other eminent personalities have been invited to the function, Rai said.
The preparations would be completed by 15 January and the puja for “praan pratistha” will start from 16 January and will continue till 22 January, he added.
After the consecration ceremony, the “Mandal puja” will be held from 24 January for 48 days, as per ritual traditions. The temple will be opened for devotees on 23 January, he added.
Rai said that proper arrangements have been made for the guests to stay at more than three places in Ayodhya. Apart from this, 600 rooms have been made available by various monasteries, temples, and families.
More invitations are likely to be sent to other opposition leaders in the coming days.
The Trust has said that invitations have been extended to revered saints from different traditions, along with all prominent individuals contributing to the honour of the country in every domain.
In the new Teerthakshetrapuram (Bag Bijaisi), a Tent City has been established which includes six tube wells, six kitchen houses, and a hospital with ten beds, the Trust has said.
Approximately 150 doctors from around the country have agreed to provide their services in rotation at this hospital.
About 4,000 saints from different sects have been invited to participate in the ceremony, the Trust has said.
(With PTI inputs)
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