RITUALS held at Ayodhya for early commencement of RAM temple construction; PM Modi urged to formally lay the foundation stone

CONSTRUCTION of a grand Ram Temple at the site believed by the Hindu faithfully to be his birthplace  5114  BC  has commenced followed by ‘Rudra Abhishek’ rituals held at the Kuber Tila temple at Ayodhya. The VHP’s Ram Janmabhoomi Temple model has been designed by renowned architect Chandrakant Sompura. Then VHP chief Ashok Singhal had entrusted him with the task. Unfortunately, he could not eyewitness his life -long dream being fulfilled. The IIT alumnus passed away on 27 November 2015 at the age of  89 when litigations over the possession of disputed site still continued between various pro -Hindu outfits and the Sunni Muslim community. The Supreme Court on November 9, 2019, paved the way for the construction of a Ram Temple. The Rudrabhishek ritual follows the tradition set by Lord Ram, who prayed to Shiva before launching an attack on Lanka. The work of laying the foundation of the temple began after these special prayers. A grand “Bhumi Pujan” ceremony has been put off for now. “We will be following the tradition of Lord Rama by offering prayers first to Lord Shiva,” a spokesman had said. Special prayers were performed by Mahant Kamal Nayan Das along with other priests on behalf of Ram Mandir Trust president and the ceremony lasted about two hours. As per sources, the Ram Mandir layout had been finalized. As per the tentative design, the temple is set to be constructed over two floors. It will be 268ft in length, 140ft in width and 128 ft in height. The pillars from the karyashaalas are all ready to be transported to the site. The pillars and stones which are at the karyashaalas will be polished before being sent since they have been lying at the workshop for years now. About 212 pillars will be used for the construction of the temple at the ancient city being developed by Uttar Pradesh Government as a tourist destination. The mandir is to be built around the makeshift temple, which has been housing the Ram Lalla since 1992 when the Babri Masjid was demolished. Once the construction is completed, the Ram Lalla will be moved back and will form the inner sanctum of the temple. In March, the Ram Lalla deity was ceremoniously moved from the makeshift temple at the site to a new spot, clearing the way for the construction of the temple.