New Delhi, 11 September (IANS). The Ram Janmabhoomi movement was at its peak in the 1990s. The major pillars of this historic movement also included the former Peethadhishwar Mahant Avaidyanath of Gorakhnath Math, who gave a new direction to this movement with his unwavering loyalty and leadership towards the Ram temple.
In 1984, by becoming the chairman of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mukti Yagya Samiti, he united the religious leaders of various sects of Hindu society and accelerated the movement. The worship of worship at the disputed structure during Karseva in 1990 was a symbol of his determination. He believed that he would not sit peacefully till the construction of Ram temple.
Mahant Avaidyanath was born on 28 May 1921 in an ordinary Brahmin family in Kandi village of Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. It is said that his parents died in childhood, which had a major impact on his life.
His life was devoted to spiritual practice, political activism and public welfare. In his youth, he traveled to pilgrimage centers like Himalayas, Kailash Mansarovar, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. During his visit to Bengal in 1940, he met Mahant Digvijaynath, who was the then Peethadhishwar of Gorakhnath Math. On 8 February 1942, at the age of just 23, Mahant Digvijaynath declared him his successor and gave the name ‘Avaidyanath’. After the death of Digvijaynath in 1969, he became Purna Peethadhishwar of Gorakshpeeth.
The political journey of Mahant Avaidyanath began a few years before the Gorakhnath Math took responsibility for the Peethadhishwar. He was elected from Maniram seat for the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly on a Hindu Mahasabha ticket. He was an MLA in 1962, 1967, 1974 and 1977. After this, he was also elected in the Lok Sabha and was elected MP from Gorakhpur seat in 1970, 1989, 1991 and 1996. Later he joined BJP. His politics was based on Hindutva and social justice.
In the 1980s, he got into active politics, hurt by the incident of mass conversion of Harijans in Meenakshipuram, Tamil Nadu, so that it does not spread in North India. He rose above caste and emphasized the unity of Hindu society. In 1998, he retired from active politics and made Yogi Adityanath his successor, which he gave the youngest MP in 1998.
He was elected Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh four times and was associated with the Hindu Mahasabha and the Bharatiya Janata Party. At the same time, Mahant Avaidyanath also gave a edge to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. In 1984, Shri Ram became the chairman of the Janmabhoomi Mukti Yagya Samiti. He united the religious leaders of various sects of Hindu society and accelerated the movement. In 1990, during the Karseva, the puja was organized at the disputed structure.
Apart from politics and religious works, Mahant Avaidyanath made the monastery a social and educational center as Peetadhishwar of Gorakhnath Math. He was the President of Maharana Pratap Shiksha Parishad and was the editor of the monthly magazine ‘Yogavani’. About three dozen institutions affiliated to the monastery were associated with education, medical and social welfare. He considered education, health and public welfare as paramount.
Mahant Avaidyanath died on 12 September 2014 in Gorakhpur. According to the Nath tradition, he was given samadhi in Padmasana Mudra.
-IANS
FM/DSC
