Ayodhya Ram Mandir to be 161-feet tall; L&T team reaches spot to start construction

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the Ram Temple at Ayodhya on Aug. 5 at 12.15 pm, at the auspicious time when the faithful believe that Lord Ram was born.

“The ‘bhoomi pujan’ will be held precisely at 12.15 pm on Aug. 5. This is the auspicious time that Lord Ram was born and the rituals for Temple construction will begin at the same time,” Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Theertha Kshetra Trust said. The Prime Minister will lay the first brick — made up of 40 kg silver — amid Vedic chants to symbolically mark the start of the Temple construction.

The bricks are believed to symbolise five planets as per the Hindu mythology, he said, adding that the design and the architecture of the Temple is the same as the one proposed.

The Trust, set up by the Government to oversee the Temple construction after the Supreme Court mandated the same last year, has issued an invitation to Modi and several other senior leaders of the Ramjanmabhoomi movement, including former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti and Vinay Katiyar. Currently, Advani, Joshi, Uma Bharti and Vinay Katiyar are facing a trial in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

According to sources, once the construction of the Temple begins, the grand Temple will be completed in 3 to 3.5 years. According to Nikhil Sompura, architect and son of C. Sompura, chief architect of the Temple, the height of the Ram Temple would be 161-feet which has been increased by 20-feet from the previous design prepared in 1988.

Nikhil Sompura said, “The earlier design was made in 1988, now over 30 years have passed and so the footfall will increase with time. People are also very enthusiastic about visiting the Temple so we thought its size should be increased. In view of this, the height of the Temple has been increased from 141-feet to 161-feet.”

The architect said that two ‘mantaps’ have been added to the design. “All pillars and the stones that were carved based on the earlier design will still be used, they will not be wasted. Only two ‘mantaps’ have been added to the design,” he added. He said that the shrine will be ready for devotees after three-and-a-half years.

“Once the ‘bhoomi pujan’ is done in the presence of the Prime Minister, the construction work will start. The team of L&T, along with machinery and materials, have reached the spot and the work on foundation will start right away,” he said.

Close down Babri Masjid demolition case: Dr. Swamy

BJP MP Dr. Subramanian Swamy yesterday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to close down Babri Masjid demolition case against veteran BJP leaders Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi before the ‘bhoomi pujan’ ceremony of Ram Temple at Ayodhya. 

Dr. Swamy added that even if Advani, Joshi and other BJP leaders were complicit in demolishing the structure, these leaders did not demolish a Masjid but a functioning Temple to rebuild it. 

Case hearing

The special CBI court has issued dates for appearance of senior BJP leaders L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Shiv Sena leader Satish Pradhan in Court through video conferencing to record their statements in the Babri Masjid demolition case. There are 32 accused in the case.

Surendra Kumar Yadav, CBI Judge, ordered Pradhan, Joshi and Advani to record their statements through video-conferencing on July 22, 23 and 24. The Court also ordered video links to make available for online hearing to the lawyers of all three accused.