Ayodhya Ram temple completes 10-day atonement ritual after donation embezzlement allegations

A 10day atonement and purification ritual undertaken at the Ram temple in Ayodhya following allegations of donation embezzlement concluded with a purnahuti final offering ceremony temple trustee Mahant Dinendra Das saidThe ritual which began on July 15 was organised by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to restore the sanctity of the temple premises after the alleged theft of devotees offerings came to lightRitual concludes with purnahuti ceremonyAccording to Mahant Dinendra Das the concluding ceremony included a havan and special worship conducted in the temples yagyashala under the guidance of Vedic scholarsTrustee Mahant Dinendra Das and trustee Krishna Mohan participated as yajmans offering ahutis during the final ritualA community feast was also organised during which local Brahmins were served foodDas said around 70 Vedic acharyas from Ayodhya and other parts of the country participated in the 10day ceremonyThe rituals included Vedic chanting havan Rudrabhishek and Ramarcha worship while the chief priest of Ram Lalla recited the Vishnu Sahasranama throughout the periodTrust says ritual aimed at restoring sanctityAccording to Das the purification ceremony was conducted on the instructions of the Trusts treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri in accordance with religious traditions observed after incidents such as theft or ritual impurityThe objective he said was to restore the sanctity of the temple and seek forgiveness for the lapseEarlier Govind Dev Giri had said the trust initiated the ritual to perform atonement and purification across the temple complex and associated gurukuls following the alleged theft of devotees offeringsHe had said the trust aimed to ensure at least 251 daily recitations of the Vishnu Sahasranama Stotra a revered hymn comprising one thousand names of Lord Vishnu which devotees believe brings positivity prosperity and spiritual wellbeingDinendra Das had also stated during the ritual that the recitation of the Vishnu Sahasranama Stotra and the Valmiki Ramayana was intended to rectify the mistakes committed at the Ram Lallas placeDonation theft controversy sparked probeThe purification ceremony comes amid an ongoing controversy over the alleged theft of donations collected at the Ram templeThe issue surfaced on June 7 and subsequently led to political controversyOn June 13 the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a Special Investigation Team SIT to investigate the allegationsBased on the SITs preliminary findings eight people associated with counting donations at the temple were arrestedThe controversy also resulted in the resignation of the then general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust Champat Rai and trustee Anil MishraTrust says investigation is ongoingGovind Dev Giri has previously said that the alleged theft deeply hurt devotees of Lord Ram and described the incident as a matter of great sorrowHe maintained that the full extent of the alleged embezzlement including when and how it occurred remains under investigationGiri also said all audit reports were secure and clarified that he had no role in the daytoday collection of temple donations which he said was handled by local trusteesEarlier this month Ram Temple Construction Committee Chairman Nripendra Mishra described the alleged donation theft as a disgraceful blot on the templeWith inputs from PTI