Gorakhpur: On August 5, with the laying of the foundation stone for the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the role of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s Gorakshnath Peeth in the temple movement will also be in focus.
The Gorakshnath Peeth played a vital role in the Ram temple movement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi could possibly consecrate the land for the construction of the Ram temple. Adityanath will also witness this historic day. This day will be very special for him and the Gorakshnath Peeth of which he is the ‘Peethadheeshwar’. However, there is as yet no official confirmation of the Prime Minister coming to Ayodhya.
In the days when the temple movement was at its peak, Gorakshnath Peeth or Gorakhnath Math located in Gorakhpur was the centre of the movement. People like Ashok Singhal, Mahant Ramchandra Paramahansa, Uma Bharati, and Vinay Katiyar were associated with the temple movement, and they often used to visit Gorakhnath temple to discuss it with Mahant Avaidyanath, Adityanath’s guru and mentor.
Senior journalist Girish Pandey, who has been associated with the Gorakshnath Peeth for two-and-a-half decades, said, “This was the biggest mass movement since Independence and Emergency. Such a movement that changed the state and direction of the country’s politics. The selection of a person to lead such a big movement was not easy. In such a situation the name on which everyone agreed was Mahant Avaidyanath.”
He said, “There were also reasons for this. Earlier, Avaidyanath had launched a public awareness campaign against the evil practices like untouchability in Hindu society and brought all the Dharmacharyas on one platform. The result was in Ayodhya on July 21, 1984 when Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mukti Yagna Samiti was formed in the Valmiki Bhavan, he was unanimously elected the chairman. Since then he was its president for life. He made it a mass movement. He had a dream for Ayodhya – construction of a grand Ram temple on Janmabhoomi. ”
“After the historic decision of the Supreme Court, on August 5, the temple of his dreams will also take shape. This was Avaidyanath’s life’s mission. Later Yogi Adityanath as his successor made it his life’s mission. As a leader of a mass base, he gave this movement a further edge.”
Pandey said, “Even after he became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in March 2017, Adityanath never concealed his heartfelt fondness towards Ayodhya and the Ram temple. The regular visits to Ayodhya and the development work done there are proof of this. Not only this, through ‘Deepotsav’, he made the identity of Ayodhya known even more in the country and the world.”
