LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI: With the Ram Temple construction in Ayodhya cleared via a Supreme Court ruling and constitution of the Shree Ram Teerth Khestra Trust, the shifting of the idol of Ram Lalla, currently kept in the garbh griha (sanctum sanctorum) of a makeshift temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi site, has begun. The idol is to be shifted to a fibre temple, a mock-up of the envisaged temple, just 150 metres away, where the deity will rest till the completion of the ‘grand’ Ram temple. The new site to rest Ram Lalla, which is deemed to be the most sacred idol in Ayodhya, will be near Ramcharit Manas Mandir.
The need for shifting arose as the temple construction would commence at the site of the birth of Lord Ram soon.
It will also ensure that the daily puja rituals and public darshan can continue unhindered. Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of the makeshift temple, said the temporary site will be made using fibre. However, the date for shifting the idol has not been finalised yet. The fibre temple is expected to be bulletproof. Members of the Ram Mandir Trust, including its president Nritya Gopal Das, on Thursday called on PM Narendra Modi at his residence and invited him to visit Ayodhya for bhoomi pujan. “We invited the prime minister to visit Ayodhya (for bhoomi pujan),” Das said. The date of bhoomi pujan is yet to be decided by the trust.
RamoUtsav celebrations
VHP’s international working president Alok Kumar said in the run-up to Ram Navami, ‘Ramo-Utsav’ will be celebrated from March 25 till April 8. Also, VHP workers will reach out to 2.75 lakh villages in India during the time.