Peak Hindutva?

One of the best known factoids from the recent Lok Sabha elections is BJP’s electoral loss in Ayodhya, despite the inauguration of the Ram temple in January, and the much-hyped installation of Ram-lalla, the infant Rama, in his rightful place. 

Instead of ‘despite’, could it be ‘because’? Because the establishment of the Ram Mandir was primarily a political act, a cynical attempt to manipulate religious sentiment for electoral gain? In an interview* with Karan Thapar on January 15th, a week before the inauguration, the Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth said as much. The video is worth viewing in its entirety, not least because of the Shankaracharya’s anger, which seethes just under the surface of his seer-like composure. Three statements stood out for me:

First, that the date set for the inauguration was not in accordance with auspicious dates that the Hindu calendar sets out. The Shankaracharya said he personally consulted several panchaangs, but the chosen date of January 22nd did not suggest itself. The implication was quite clear - the date was chosen for political convenience, not for astrological auspiciousness.

Second, that the installation of the idol was  a violation of established religious protocol - an ashaastriya kaarya, or irreligious act. I quote from the sub-titles of Karan’s interview:

“Our scriptures have clearly mentioned who can touch the idol. Modiji will touch the idol. I can’t stand there and clap to applaud him. I know the dignity of my position. This is not ego.”

Third - when the destruction of the Babri Masjid opened the path for construction of the Ram Mandir, Prime Minister Narasimha Rao had encouraged the establishment of a religious trust to oversee the project. The Ramalaya Nyas, headed by Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, was set up in 1994, and claimed that they were the legitimate authority for the task. The VHP, meanwhile, had established its own vehicle, the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, to control the temple construction. That there was a rivalry for ownership of the project is hardly unexpected, but there is little doubt that it became a political project: the bhoomi-poojan, the ground-breaking ceremony, was presided over by the RSS chief, the Prime Minister, and the Chief Minister of U.P. Little needs to be said about the actual inauguration - a spectacle that outdid Sanjay Leela Bhansali, a media event choreographed for television and a billion mobile phones, a vehicle for the stardom of a singular actor, Prime Minister Modi.

Modi appointed his people to oversee the project -  not religious people, the Shankaracharya averred: 

“Dharma ki andekhi hone vaali hai.”

(Religion will be ignored).

The Shankaracharya of Puri concurred. In the same interview, Karan Thapar read from a message sent by him:

“Shastra vidhi nahin ho rahi hai vahaan.”

(Scriptural processes will not be observed there).

Voting is a complicated decision-making process, and several reasons have been adduced for the fact that the Ram Mandir inauguration was not the Balakot of the 2024 elections, the one grand, decisive gesture that swung the elections the BJP way. Perhaps the timing was off, and it came too soon in the election cycle; maybe it was the manner of its construction, destroying livelihoods, homes and other temples that interfered with its grand vision; or, maybe, the voter of Ayodhya, like the Shankaracharyas, felt that the Ram Mandir was a cynical appropriation of religion to a political end.

I would like to believe the last - that the devout Hindu of Ayodhya believes that religion and politics must be kept apart. 

I was discussing this thought with my dear friend, Barun Mitra, last evening. This morning, I woke up to a quick bit of research he had done overnight:

“I just looked up some of the key Ramayana sites, and the corresponding Lok Sabha constituencies.”

In Uttar Pradesh, besides Ayodhya:

Prayagraj (once Allahabad), where Rama crossed the Ganga; 

Chitrakoot, in Banda constituency, where Rama spent much of his exile, and where his brother, Lakshman, entreated him to return to Ayodhya.

In Maharashtra: 

Panchvati, in Nashik constituency, site of much of the vanvaas; believed to be the spot from where Ravana abducted Sita;

Ramtek, where Rama visited Agastyamuni’s ashram.

In Chhattisgarh:

Dandakaranya, home to deadly creatures and demons, where the battle to uproot evil forces began.

In Karnataka:

Koppal, which houses Kishkinda - the kingdom of Sugreeva and Vali, and birthplace of Hanuman.

The BJP, Barun checked, lost in each of these constituencies. 

In the most storied of places in the so-called Hindu heartland, the Indian voter was not persuaded that the merchants of Hindutva were motivated either by genuine devotion, or by the earthly interests of their constituents.

In this, their quiet discrimination, lies hope for the unity and integrity of our nation.

2. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/nyas-writes-to-pm-home-minister-declare-ramalaya-nyas-as-the-trust-to-build-ram-temple/articleshow/72322457.cms?from=mdr