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On April 30, the chief priest of Ayodhya’s Hanuman Garhi temple is set to make a journey. All of 1.6 kilometres, the journey will be watched with great interest inside and outside of Ayodhya, as the priest will break a centuries-old tradition to make it.
Mahant Prem Das will visit the Ram temple, even though the ‘constitution’ of Hanuman Garhi states that the ‘gaddi nasheen’ (literally, the one on the chair, the chief priest) not leave the premises of the Garhi. The rule has been followed strictly so far, with a gaddi nasheen leaving the temple in the recent decades only once, to be hospitalised.
Why is this rule in place, and why is Mahant Prem Das now breaking it?
Hanuman Garhi is believed to have been built in the 10th century. A prevalent belief is that a visit to the Ram Janmabhoomi temple is complete only after one visits Hanuman Garhi first.
The ‘constitution’ of Hanuman Garhi, which lays down the rules of conduct, says that the chief priest can only remain on the land under the possession of the temple, which covers 52 bighas (0.13 square kilometers).
In Ayodhya, it is believed that when Ram departed the Earth, he left his kingdom in the charge of Hanuman, who oversaw the birthplace of Ram from his own adobe, Hanuman Garhi. Thus, the people of Ayodhya often refer to Hanuman as their king and the temple’s “gaddi nasheen” His representative, who can’t leave the post.
“Hanuman Garhi ka samvidhan (constitution) dates back to over 200 years, from the time of Baba Abhay Das ji Maharaj. When the three main sadhu akharas were formed, Hanuman Garhi became the main seat of Nirvani Akhara, and is governed by it to date,” explained Dr Mahesh Das, Pracharya of Hanumant Sanskrit Vidyalaya and one of the primary disciple of Prem Das.
He further explained that as per the rules, the gaddi nasheen, whose seat is established in front of the Hanuman idol in the temple, cannot leave the 52-bigha premises as he is the representative and also the “servant” of Hanuman. He said that when Hanuman ji is invited for any major religious functions, it is his symbol, or chinnah — a flag with Hanuman’s portrait, engraved with silver and golden threads — that goes with proper rituals, and not the gaddi nasheen himself.
The land for Hanuman Garhi is believed to have been given by the Nawab of Awadh in the 18th century, when the priest of the temple cured his unwell son. The temple is in the shape of a fort. Apart from the temple, the plot has hundreds of shops, houses, the Shri Ram Hospital, and the Hanumat Sanskrit Maha Vidhyalaya.
So what changed?
According to disciples at the Hanuman Garhi, for a few months now, Mahant Prem Das has said that Lord Hanuman has been appearing to him in his dreams and commanding him to visit the Ram temple.
“Following the mahant’s request to visit the temple, a meeting of the Nirvani Akhara Panchayat, which has about 400 members, was called on April 21. The panch, after a long discussion, decided to allow the visit, considering that the call is by Lord Hanuman himself,” explained one of the priests at the temple.
What now and what are the technical issues?
Hanuman Gari priests said that as per the protocol, if the gaddi nasheen steps out, it has to be with the Hanuman Chinnah, on a chariot, with a royal procession of elephants, horses, camels, silver sticks, and thousands of followers.
The panchayat has decided that the “historic visit” be held on Akshaya Tritiya, which falls on April 30.
According to the schedule decided, the mahant will leave Hanuman Garhi from the back gate, referred to as the “VIP gate”, in a chariot with his royal procession. However, as the Ram Temple has its own security protocol, he will leave the chariot at a distance and enter the temple in a four-wheeler from Gate number 3.
He will carry 56 types of Bhog and other offerings for Lord Ram.
Is there a political significance to the trip?
Hanuman Garhi has kept its distance from the Ram Temple Movement in recent years. While Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi, on political visits to the state, generally avoided visiting the Ram Janmabhoomi site, they offered prayers at Hanuman Garhi. Thus, the mahant’s trip will be closely watched in political circles too.
