New Delhi: Amid reports of differences between the four 'Shankaracharyas' or religious head ahead of the grand Ram Temple opening in Ayodhya on January 22, Puri Shankarcharya Nischalananda Saraswati has clarified that such claims are not true.

The Puri Shankarcharya said, “It's false, there are no differences between the four 'Shankaracharyas' over Ram Temple Pran Prathistha ceremony in Ayodhya.” “It is necessary for Lord Ram idol to get installed in the temple but it should be done according to religious scriptures,” he added.

All four Shankaracharyas had earlier announced that they will not be attending the Ram Temple consecration ceremony on January 22 in Ayodhya. The confirmation of not attending the inauguration was earlier shared in a video by Joshimath Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati who said that none of the four religious heads will be in Ayodhya on January 22.   

The key heads of the four shrines called the 'peeths' are situated in Joshimath in Uttarakhand, Dwarka in Gujarat, Puri in Odisha, and Sringeri in Karnataka. 

According to a tweet posted by Joshimath Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati earlier, the four heads are not attending the grand opening as the temple was being consecrated before construction was completed.

Shankaracharyas must bless Ram Temple, not criticise: Union minister Rane

Union Minister Narayan Rane on Saturday asserted that the Ram Temple is built on religion and not on politics and that “Shankaracharyas should bless it instead of criticising some aspects”, reported news agency PTI. Rane accused Shankaracharyas of looking at Prime Minister Narendra Modi from a "political angle"

He also said the Shankaracharyas must spell out their contribution to society and Hinduism. "Should they bless the temple or criticise it? It means Shankaracharyas look at Prime Minister Narendra Modi from a political angle. This temple is not built on politics but on religion. Ram is our God," Rane said.

(With PTI inputs)