Heavy earth moving machines rolled into the Ramjanmabhoomi premises in Ayodhya last week, marking the beginning of construction of the Ram Mandir. The chief priest of the makeshift temple, Acharya Satyendra Das, said, “Machines have begun levelling land and clearing bushes and heavy thickets… It’s a joyous moment for Hindus as we are now free from 500 years of slavery.”
The 67.7-acre compound also houses more than 12 ancient temples, including the Ram Janamsthan and the Sita Rasoi, which are in ruins. No rituals have been performed here since 1993, when land was acquired by the Centre. There’s still no word from the Ram Mandir Trust - it will lay out the blueprint of the Ram Mandir - on whether these temples would be renovated or annexed into the greater temple design. Anil Mishra, a trustee, said, “The Trust will decide the fate of these structures and on restarting worship.”
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has also finalised moving carved and uncarved marble to the Ramjanambhoomi premises. The shifting of stones will take place at night to avoid traffic snarls. “Our new planning will be according to the full satisfaction of security forces, we will try that the walking distance of devotees to reach the temple is reduced to the extent that it does not impact security,” Ram Mandir Trust secretary Champat Rai said. “Before any construction work starts, there will be a meeting of architects and engineers to finalise the plan,” he said.
Ram Lalla darshan at new site
The idol of Ram Lalla, currently placed in a makeshift temple at his birthplace on the Ram Janmbhoomi premises, will be shifted to his new temporary abode on March 25, when the auspicious days of Chaitra Navratra commence. The new location is bulletproof and made up of fibre. Meanwhile, as per highly placed sources, the meeting of the board of trustees of Shree Ram Teerth Kshetra Trust, which was to take place in Ayodhya on March 3 and 4, has been deferred. It is now expected to be convened in New Delhi after Holi.
Earlier, sharing the information about the shifting of the idol of Lord Ram, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) vice president and Shree Ram Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai said that after shifting the idol to the new temporary set-up, devotees would have to walk only half a km to have darshan of Lord Ram. Darshan in the new temple would be available from a distance of 26 feet whereas earlier in the makeshift temple, devotees used to get a glimpse of the idol from a distance of 52 feet.
The new temporary abode of Lord Ram is in the final stages of completion. The temple trust has given 15 days to the district administration to make all arrangements for shifting the idol. Rai said that as the devotees were allowed only to have a glimpse of the idol for a few seconds, the distance between the devotees and the deity was reduced.
The VHP leader also claimed that in order to give strength and sustainability to the temple, Ram Darbar - red sandstone from Rajasthan - would be used to construct the temple instead of concrete and iron. He also claimed that a meeting of the board of trustees was convened by temple construction committee chairman Nripendra Mishra in the temple town. The meeting was attended by former chairman of National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) Arun Mittal and engineers of Larsen and Toubro.
Mishra also visited the Ram Janmabhoomi premises with the team to take stock of the situation of land and other aspects related to temple construction. At the meeting, the district administration gave a presentation over the security of the idol in the new fibre temple till the temple construction is completed.
Meanwhile, a consensus is being built over bringing water from all the sacred rivers and oceans from across the country to perform the ‘bhoomi pujan’ ahead of the construction of the proposed Ram temple. Moreover, other preparations, including the testing of the soil 50 ft below the sanctum sanctorum to assess its strength, are also on. Discussions are also taking place over playing the ‘Ram Dhun’ all through the construction of the temple at the complex. It was also proposed at the meeting that during the ‘bhoomi pujan’, saints and common people should be given representation. Stones from each state would be brought to Ayodhya to be used in the bhoomi pujan for the proposed temple.
It was also discussed that during temple construction, Ram Katha, discourses and life and times of Lord Ram would be depicted in the stage shows at a secure spot on the premises of Ram Janmabhoomi. The Board of Trustees was also of the opinion that arrangements should be made to relay the ‘bhoomi pujan’ ceremony across the country.
