The grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya is set to install an idol of Lord Ram in his child-like form (Ram Lalla) in the pure white Makrana marble sanctum sanctorum next month, announced the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust on Wednesday. The 51-inch tall idol, portraying a five-year-old Ram Lalla, will be selected from three designs based on divineness and a childlike appearance.
Champat Rai, the trust secretary, shared details about the temple’s construction, highlighting the use of 21-22 lakh cubic feet of stone. He emphasized that such a massive stone structure hasn’t been built in Northern India for the last 100-200 years, and the temple’s foundation includes a 56-layered artificial rock. The sanctum sanctorum, constructed with pure white Makrana marble, is ready.
The temple’s consecration ceremony, scheduled for January 22, will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The temple is being constructed on the northern part of the 70-acre land allocated to Hindus by the Supreme Court in 2019. It is a three-storeyed structure with the ground floor completed and the first floor under construction.
The temple is enclosed by a four-cornered wall (Prakara) with a length of nearly 750 meters, and the unique 14-feet wide Prakara will be double-storeyed, allowing devotees to perform Parikrama on the upper floor. The construction of Prakara may take an additional 6-8 months.
Facilities for pilgrims visiting the temple include locker facilities for 25,000 pilgrims at the Pilgrimage Facility Centre (PFC), a small hospital near the PFC, and a complex with toilets and other amenities. Electricity supply has been directly sourced from the powerhouse with a dedicated line, and underground water reservoirs have been dug in case the fire brigade requires water. A zero discharge policy is in place to manage water usage and maintain greenery in the surrounding 50 acres.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Ayodhya to inaugurate the Ayodhya airport and revamped railway station, modeled after the temple, on Saturday.
