Ayodhya: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday (June 1) laid the foundation stone for Ram Mandir’s Garbhagriha, pouring cement on the stones during the ceremony. He participated in a `Shila Pujan` ceremony for the construction of the sanctum sanctorum. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and the saints and Mahants of 90 maths and temples associated with the Ram Mandir movement were also present at the ceremony.
Yogi Adityanath, who arrived at Ayodhya to lay the foundation stone of Ram Temple`s `Garbha Griha`, will also inaugurate Shri Ramlala Sadan, a Dravidian-style temple, at the site.
Recitation of Ramarcha, Durga Saptashati, Rudrabhishek, Ram Raksha Stotra, Vishnu Sahasranama, Hanuman Chalisa, Sunderkand is underway ahead of the construction of the Garbhagriha of Ram Mandir.
During the foundation stone laying ceremony, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath placed the first carved stone of the `Garbha Griha`.
According to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which is in charge of the construction of the temple, the sanctum sanctorum is expected to be completed by December 2023.
Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the construction of Lord Ram Temple in Ayodhya on August 5, 2020, since then the construction work has been proceeding at a fast pace.
The five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi (now retired) had on November 9, 2019, unanimously delivered its verdict that the land in Ayodhya where Babri Masjid once stood, belongs to Ram Lalla.
Earlier on Monday, Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra (SRJBTK), which is the authority in charge of Ram Mandir`s operations and supervising the construction, informed that the construction of the Ram Mandir is in full swing.
Nripendra Misra, Chairman of Ayodhya Ram Mandir construction committee, told ANI, “Work on the superstructure begins today. We have a 3-stage time frame (for completion of works) – Garbhagriha by 2023, temple construction by 2024 end and main constructions at the temple complex by 2025: Nripendra Misra.
Sharing the progress report, the SRJBTK said that the foundation has been laid, and the plinth or the pedestal raising work, which began on January 24 this year, is still going on. By December 2023, the temple`s sanctum sanctorum which will have the Ram Lalla idol, would be ready for worship.
“The plinth is raised using granite stone blocks from Karnataka and Telangana. The installation of carved sandstones around the sanctum sanctorum will also commence soon. The Mandir will be built from pink sandstone from the hills of the Bansi-Paharpur region in Rajasthan`s Bharatpur district. About 17,000 granite blocks will be used in the plinth work”, ANI quoted the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust as saying.
It further said that by December 2023, the temple`s lower floor, which will house the sanctum sanctorum and a Ram Lalla idol, would be ready for worship, adding that white marble from Rajasthan`s Makrana hills will be used in Mandir`s Sanctum Sanctorum (Garbhgrih). “Some of Makrana White Marble is in full progress and some of these carved marbles have started reaching Ayodhya”, said the temple authority.
