5 Karnataka seers invited for Ram temple bhumi pujan: VHP

Bengaluru:  Five seers from Karnataka have been invited for the Ram temple foundation stone-laying ceremony on Wednesday in Ayodhya, a VHP official said on Tuesday.

"Only five seers from Karnataka have been invited to attend the Ram Temple bhumi pujan (foundation stone-laying ceremony) in Ayodhya," said Karnataka Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) organising secretary Basavaraja to IANS. 

The five seers are Nirmananda Swamy from Adi Chinchingiri Mutt, Shivratreshvara Swamy of Suttur Mutt in Mysuru, Veerendra Hegde from Dharmasthala, Vidhushekara Bharat Swamy from Shringeri Mutt, Madharachennaya Swamy of Madharachennaya Peetha from Chitradurga.

Basavaraja said the seers are yet to reach Ayodhya and are expected to be there by Tuesday evening, reaching by air. On the limited number of seers attending the event , Basavaraja said many people could not be invited because of the Covid pandemic.

Had coronavirus not been there, he said many people would have attended it. Already, soil and water samples from multiple religious places from the state have been sent to Ayodhya. Basavaraja said water samples from important rivers in the state are also being sent.

"For the unity of the nation, we are sending holy water and soil samples to Ayodhya. Water from important rivers is also being sent," he added. The other major Karnataka connection with the Ram temple is the bhumi pujan 'Muhurat' or auspicious time.

N.R. Vijayeendra Sharma from Belagavi had proposed the August 5 muhurat which was chosen as the right time to lay the foundation stone. Sharma is the 'Kulapati' or head of Vidya Vihar Vidyalaya in the northwestern town of Karnataka.