Ayodhya: The construction work of the Ram temple in Ayodhya has commenced today. Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Das announced the same after bowing in front of the makeshift temple. Prior to the start of the work, mandatory puja was performed by the Mahant, who also heads the Janmabhoomi Nyas.
After 27 years, on March 25, 2020, the idol of the Hindu gods got shifted from the temporary temple in Ayodhya to a palanquin and taken to Manas Bhawan in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The makeshift temple structure is reportedly made of fibre and is bulletproof.
Donations for building the temple have also started filling in the two accounts of the Trust. Neither the coronavirus crisis nor the lockdown has stopped the devotees from making contributions for the construction of the temple, which is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, which is responsible for making the temple, has been receiving donations ranging from Rs. 11 to thousands. However, everyone wants to be a part of historical construction.
A total of Rs 4.60 crore has been deposited in the two accounts of the trust during the lockdown period, with one receiving Rs. 2.1 crore and the other contributed with Rs. 2.5 crore.
Acharya Satyendra Das, chief priest of the Ram temple, said, “We are confident that there will be no shortage of money for the temple. People are donating huge sums of money for the project and we will make sure that the temple that is built is unmatched in magnificence and grandeur.”
In March, the trust had declared its bank accounts to allow people to make donations through e-banking. RTGS, UPI systems, bank transfers and other methods are made available for the contributions. Large sums are being donated through cheques. More than 5000 people have made donations so far.
After the announcement of the temple trust by the PM on February 5, the account was handed over to Raja Bimalendra Mohan Pratap Mishra, a part of the Ayodhya royal family.
According to the initial plan, the temple will be made 268 feet long, 140 feet wide and 128 feet high. It will have a total of 212 pillars. The stone temple will have the foundation made with bricks and devotees had donated them last year for this purpose.
The Supreme Court on November 9, 2019 had given the judgment in favour of the construction of a Ram Temple, ending a century-old dispute between two religions. The SC bench, also comprising Justices S A Bobde, Ashok Bhushan, DY Chandrachud, and S Abdul Nazeer asked the Centre to award an alternative 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque.
