LUCKNOW: The plinth of under-construction Ram Temple in Ayodhya will be completed in August along with 30-40 per cent of the work on the parikrama path (circumambulation path), which is being made of carved stones in the sanctum sanctorum.
Sharing details of progress in temple construction work, temple trust general secretary Champat Rai claimed that three-fourth of the work on the plinth was completed. The construction work of plinth stones would be completed in a month. “Along with this, work is also going on expeditiously on the sanctum sanctorum. In two months, more than 200 carved pink stones from Bansi Paharpur have been installed. The parikrama path in the west of the sanctum will be completely ready soon,” said Champat Rai.
The ongoing construction work in the Ram Janmabhoomi complex is being monitored by the temple trust which keeps the devotees across the country updated on the progress of the temple’s construction.
Moreover, the construction committee, headed by former IAS officer Nripendra Mishra, has decided to increase the thickness of the pillars in sanctum sanctorum by three inches so that they could bear the load of the temple.
According to a report of Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) Roorkee, the stones were being carved afresh for the pillars of sanctum sanctorum. As per the temple trust sources, the CBRI report had proposed the pillars to be 14-16 ft high with a diameter of around 8 ft. “Each pillar will be decorated with the 16 idols of Yaksh-Yakshinis and deities,” said a member of the temple trust.
Moreover, there has been a change in the temple model along with the change in the width of the pillars of sanctum sanctorum. The total height of the temple till its spire would be 161 ft. The temple will have three storeys with each being 20 ft high. The sanctum sanctorum will have 160 pillars, first storey will have 132 pillars and second 74.
The stones, earlier carved for pillars, were for two storeys only, since the design has been changed, the carving of stones is being done afresh in Rajasthan, said one of the trustees. Along with the latest update, the trust has also released photos of the stones carved out of the pink sandstones from Rajasthan being installed in the sanctum sanctorum.