Agencies

Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh), June 01:

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath performed the ‘Shila Pujan’ ceremony and laid the foundation stone for the construction of the sanctum sanctorum of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Wednesday.

He laid the foundation stone for construction of Ram Temple’s ‘Garbha Griha’ or the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, and placed the first carved stone.

Adityanath facilitated the engineers of Ram Temple construction with ‘Anga Vastras’.

Chief Minister Adityanath arrived in the town early this morning to participate in the ceremony.

Seers and saints from across the country were invited for the occasion. Later today, CM Yogi will also inaugurate Shri Ramlala Sadan, a Dravidian-style temple, at the site.

Earlier, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offered prayers at Hanuman Garhi temple in Ayodhya.

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.

“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, Chairman of Ayodhya Ram Mandir construction committee said.

The construction of the temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya is going on at a fast pace. On August 5, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Ram temple and since then the construction work of the temple is going on.

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.