The IANS team spoke to the general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Champat Rai, on a range of issues, from the construction work of the grand temple to the development of the new Ayodhya.
Construction of grand Ram temple in full swing
Temple construction work has been completed up to 40 per cent, Rai said. Now the work for the plinth of the temple is going on. The construction work for the new temple will be completed by December 2023 when the public will be able to visit Ram Lalla. The temple and the whole complex are being constructed on a land spreading across 67 acres. The construction work is being carried out with modern machinery and technology. The foundation of the temple has been built up to 15 metres deep.
Building the retaining wall
The work of building the retaining wall is going on in the western part of the temple. The temple has the Saryu River on its western front. Keeping all the geographical conditions in mind, the retaining wall is being constructed.
The wall is deep enough so that it could stand against heavy rain and soil erosion. And if ever river Saryu changes its direction, the temple should not be harmed by it.
Construction of Mandapa to start next month
After the completion of the plinth work for the temple, the work of building the Mandapa will start, on which 400 pillars will be installed. The pillars have already been built to make the Mandapa of the entire temple, including the sanctum sanctorum. The pillars of Kudu Mandap, Nritya Mandap and Rang Mandap of Ram temple will be installed in 30 days.
The city of Ayodhya is situated on the banks of river Saryu. Whoever comes here does not go back without taking a dip of faith in Saryu. Keeping this in mind, the administration has started work for the restoration and reconstruction of the ghats on the Saryu river, and the work of fully developing a new ghat has been completed.
Earlier, people who came here used to struggle a lot to change clothes after bathing, but now, keeping in mind the respect of women, a changing room has been built for the women. At the same time, special care is taken for the cleanliness of these ghats.
Boost to employment
When the temple of Ram Lalla will be ready, the number of devotees coming here will be in lakhs. According to an estimate, the number of devotees coming here will be more than two lakh. For the devotees coming from outside, arrangements will be made for food and lodging, etc, benefiting the local people.
For this, along with the Ram temple construction, the road map for the development of Ayodhya has also been prepared.
–IANS