NEW DELHI: Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Sunday unveiled rare relics of the original Somnath Jyotirlingam for the first time in Delhi.
The event, a Maha Satsang titled Anandam, was attended by Delhi CM Rekha Gupta and Vidhan Sabha Speaker Vijendra Gupta, among others.
CM Rekha Gupta said, “I still remember, Gurudev, how thousands of Art of Living volunteers, under your guidance, took up the massive task of cleaning the Yamuna ghats, removing thousands of truckloads of waste.”
“Now, we will take this task forward, create a beautiful riverfront and organize a grand Maha Aarti with your presence. I will personally come to invite you,” she added.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said, “It is heartening to see the Chief Minister speak about the Yamuna cleaning initiative already.” He mentioned that The Art of Living’s’Meri Delhi, Meri Yamuna’ campaign for the Yamuna cleanup began way back in 2010.
The highlight of the evening was the unveiling of the relics that belonged to the original Somnath Jyotirlingam. The relics will be available for viewing on March 4 and 5 at Chinmaya Mission, Lodhi Road.
According to an Art of Living press release, after Mahmud of Ghazni attacked and destroyed the Somnath Temple along with the Jyotirlingam in 1026 CE, a few Agnihotri Brahmins secretly carried the pieces with them to Tamil Nadu, moulded them into small Shivalingas and continued to worship them through the generations.
These relics eventually came into the care of the family of Agnihotri Brahmin Pandit Sitaram Shastri. “You should yourself take them to Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Bengaluru. He will help you,” Shastr was instructed by the current Kanchi Shankaracharya, said the AOL statement.
Earlier in the day, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also inaugurated the World Peace Centre alongside revered Jain monk Lokesh Muni, who is also the founder of the center; former President Ramnath Kovind, and Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini.
