Gen Z guide to Ram Mandir consecration vocabulary

If you are young and curious there are many words around the Ram Temple inauguration that might have you in tizzy as you strive to keep up with the news cycle We simplify the 75yearold issue which will culminate with the consecration of a temple on January 22 using some of the oftrepeated words you might be seeing in the news and on social media Strap onChampat Rai general secretary Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra TrustRath YatraWhat it means A nationwide tour seeking support for the templeCurrent context Then BJP president LK Advani began a Ram Rath Yatra or lsquoChariot Tourrsquo crisscrossing the country on September 25 1990 in Somnath Gujarat in what was to become a pivotal event in Indian politicsBJP leader L K Advani carrying out Rath Yatra PM Modi was also part of the yatra right box Kar Sevaks on top of Babri Masjid PicsTwitterThe Yatra was scheduled to conclude at Ayodhya after travelling through 16 states The goal of the political effort was to get support for building a Ram temple at the contentious location in Ayodhya Advanirsquos selection of a ldquorathrdquo or chariot as the means of transportation represented the journey of Lord Ram as told in the Hindu epic Ramayana The Yatra was abruptly concluded on October 22 1990 when Advani was arrested flown into Dumka now in Jharkhand by the government of the then CM of Bihar Lalu Prasad YadavBut the Yatra had by then achieved what it set out toRam LallaWhat it means Idol of Lord Ram in infant formCurrent context The 51inchtall black stone idol represents a fiveyearold Lord Now lsquoRam Lallarsquo might mean either of two idols ndash the one that arrived in the temple complex on Jan 18 and the one that ldquomiraculously appearedrdquo inside the central dome of what was then the Babri Masjid on the intervening night of Dec 2223 in 1949The idol of Lord Ram in infant form PicTwitterThis deity which has graced the premises for 74 year since 1949 changed the course of Indian history and is the basis on which the entire temple movement stands with the Sangh Parivar still celebrating that December day as the Prakatotsav DiwasFor the new temple three idols were commissioned with the black stone version carved by Mysore sculptor Arun Yogiraj winning the bragging rights to be the main idol ldquoThe remaining two idols of will also be enthroned on the first and second floors of the Ram Mandirrdquo said Champat Rai general secretary of the trustShri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha KshetraWhat it means The trust set up for the construction and management of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya by the Government of India in February 2020 following the Supreme Court rulingMahant Nritya Gopal DasCurrent context The trust has 15 trustees and was created as per the verdict of the Supreme Court SC On February 5 2020 PM Modi declared the establishment of the trust in Lok Sabha Following the SC decision in this regard the trust was granted ownership of both the disputed 277acre land and the 67703acre land Twelve out of the 15 trust members were nominated by the central government On February 19 2020 the trust nominated the rest of its members and elected Mahant Nrityagopal Das as the chairmanShankaracharyaWhat it means The title held by the heads of four cardinal mathas or peeths believed to be established by Adi Shankara India has four ShankaracharyasThe four ShankaracharyasCurrent context The Shankaracharyas head the four Hindu mathas monasteries mdash in Dwarka Gujarat Joshimath Uttarakhand Puri Odisha and Sringeri Karnataka mdash that are believed to have been founded by the eighthcentury religious scholar and philosopher Adi ShankaraTwo of them will not be attending the January 22 functionShilanyasWhat it means Foundation stonelayingCurrent context Again while one will happen next week the significant shilanyas happened in 1989 once the then Rajiv Gandhi government opened the gates of the mosque and allowed Hindus to offer prayers That foundation laying on November 9 1989 which also incidentally coincided with the seismic fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany put the mandir issue on the national centre stage powering the BJP from a mere two seats to its brute majority todaySpeaking to the Hindi daily Amar Ujala a senior member of the temple trust said the foundation of the current complex was done at ldquoa special timerdquo on a special dayKar SevakWhat it means Religious volunteersCurrent context The Yatra led to violence across the country Things took a tragic turn when in October and November 1990 the UP Mulayam Singh Yadav government was forced to open fire on Kar Sevaks who had assembled in Ayodhya Over 500 were reported killed according to official accounts Reports have said that the temple trust has invited the families of the martyred Kar Sevaks to Mondayrsquos inaugurationPran PratishthaWhat it means Consecration ceremonyCurrent context Pran Pratistha or consecration ceremony of idol has been in controversy after the opposition alleged that it was inappropriate to be held in an underconstruction temple according vedic rituals and that it had been politicised in light of the upcoming polls The absence of two Shankaracharyas has added to the fracas Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalaanand Saraswati Maharaj told India Today TV ldquoI will not attend the ceremony as shastras are not being followed There is a difference between inaugurating Sardar Patelrsquos statue and LordRamrsquos idolrdquoGarbha GrihaWhat it means Sanctum sanctorum the inner chamber of the temple where the main deity is placedCurrent context A garbhagriha is the innermost sanctuary of Hindu and Jain temples what may be called ldquoholy of holiesrdquo or ldquosanctum sanctorumrdquo Ahead of the longawaited Pran Pratistha ceremony the golden door of the templersquos garbha griha has been installed This is where the idol of Ram Lalla has been kept for the consecration ceremonyAnushthanWhat it means Ritual this word is also known as karmakand according to ancient textsCurrent context Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an emotional message announced that he is beginning an 11daylong lsquoanushthanrsquo or special ritual in the days leading up to the grand Ram Mandir consecration scheduled for January 22 in the Ayodhya temple city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh ldquoOnly 11 days are left for the consecration of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya I am fortunate that I will also be a witness to this auspicious occasion The Lord has made me an instrument to represent all the people of India during the consecration Keeping this in mind I am starting a special ritual of 11 days from today I am seeking blessings from all the people At this moment it is very difficult to express my feelings in words but I have tried from my siderdquo the prime minister said in a post