Yogi Adityanath on Thursday conducted a second consecration at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, making it a point to emphasise that the Prime Minister had presided over the first, at a time when he is aggressively positioning himself as Narendra Modi’s political successor.
The Uttar Pradesh chief minister, also the mahant of the Gorakhnath Math, consecrated Ram Darbar — the court of Ram — on the newly completed first floor of
the temple.
Everything around the event seemed tailored to build up Adityanath’s political and religious stature.
It was given out that Thursday marked the anniversary of Ram’s coronation as king of Ayodhya as well as that of his ancestor Bhagirath’s act of bringing the Ganga down to earth from the top of the Himalayas. It was hard, however, to miss an apparent coincidence.
Thursday was the 53rd birthday of Adityanath.
“I congratulate the followers of Sanatan Dharma living in Ayodhya, the state, the country and the world on this day,” Adityanath told a public event to mark the second anniversary of the Ayodhya Nagar Nigam Board.
“I also express my gratitude to the Prime Minister, who had conducted the first consecration on January 22, 2024.”
Multiple consecrations of the same shrine are rare. Several of the Shankaracharyas — among the highest authorities of Hinduism — had said the first consecration (of the idols on the ground floor) lacked scriptural sanction since the temple was incomplete: the top two storeys were yet to be built
The latest consecration too falls foul of that principle, for the top floor remains incomplete. No religious figure has raised objections this time, though. Nor is there any word whether there will be a third consecration once the top floor is built.
Political observers believe Adityanath is gearing up for a full-tilt campaign to assert himself as political heir to Modi, who turns 75 on September 17. Modi is widely perceived to have “retired” several BJP veterans from active politics using 75 as the cut-off age.
While Union home minister Amit Shah — himself a leading contender to be Modi’s successor — has dismissed Opposition claims that the Prime Minister has an obligation to step down himself after turning 75, there’s little doubt that succession talks will gain momentum after September 17.