30-04-2025
Hanuman Garhi head priest breaks 300-year-old tradition, visits Ram Mandir
Ayodhya: Breaking a 300-year-old tradition,
Mahant Prem Das
on Wednesday became the first head priest of Ayodhya's
Hanuman Garhi
temple to step outside the revered temple's premises, as he led a procession to the Ram Mandir on the occasion of
Akshaya Tritiya festival
.
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Mahant Das visited the Ram Mandir in a "Shahi Juloos" (royal procession), in a historic departure from centuries-old tradition that forbade the head priest from ever leaving the 52-bigha premises of Hanuman Garhi during his lifetime.
Thousands of Naga Sadhus, devotees, and disciples joined the procession, which featured elephants, horses, camels, and musical performance by local troupes. The spiritual journey began on the banks of the Saryu river, where Mahant Das and others performed a ritual bath, before proceeding to offer prayers to Ram Lalla at the Ram Mandir."
This tradition has been followed for 288 years, since 1737," Mahant Sanjay Das, a senior seer of Hanuman Garhi, said. "The Mahant's role is to devote himself entirely to Lord Hanuman. Once he is anointed on the seat, he lives and dies within the temple premises. His body can only leave the premises after his death," he said.
The tradition, which began with the establishment of the temple in the 18th century, was so strict that the chief priest was even barred from appearing before local courts in lawsuits.
There are occasions in recorded history when the court came down to the temple for the chief priest to depose and record his statement.
The tradition was set aside for once, with the consent of all religious bodies, at the request of Mahant Prem Das to visit the Ram Mandir in his lifetime. The "Panch" (five members) of Nirvani Akhara (the apex body of Hanuman Garhi) unanimously granted the permission to him.
Hanuman Garhi is revered as the custodian of Ayodhya due to its historical significance, its location at Ayodhya's highest point, and the belief that Hanuman, a devoted servant of Lord Ram, guards the city.
The temple deity is considered the "Kotwal" or guardian of the city, and it's believed that seeking Hanuman's blessings before worshipping Lord Ram is a tradition.
