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Ayodhya gears up for 3-day rituals to start temple work
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may lay the foundation stone for the temple at around 12.15 pm on August 5, the religious figures said.
Hindu religious figures in Ayodhya plan to organise three days of Vedic rituals starting on August 3 and ending with the bhumi pujan on August 5 that will mark the start of construction of a Ram temple in the holy town.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may lay the foundation stone for the temple at around 12.15 pm on August 5, the religious figures said.
“Timings for foundation laying ceremony for the Prime Minister has been decided according to Hindu calendar and the most auspicious time (12.15 pm) on August 5 has been selected,” said Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, heir to Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, chairman of the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, formed to oversee the temple construction.
An official communication from the Prime Minister’s Office on his Ayodhya visit is yet to be released, he added.
Vedic rituals for bhumi pujan will start on August 3 with a special puja to Lord Ganesha. According to Hindu belief, every auspicious ceremony begins with offerings to Lord Ganesha. Next day, the priests will perform the Ramacharya puja.
An 11-member team of priests (Acharya) from Varanasi and Ayodhya will perform the three-day rituals. In the entire ceremony, priests from Varanasi, which is parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Modi, will play a prominent role.
On his visit to Ayodhya, Modi is likely to remain in temple town for two hours.
“PM’s visit will be short and will only be confined to bhumi pujan,” said Mahant Nritya Kamal Nayan Das, who was also present at the Trust’s meeting in Ayodhya on Saturday.
On the occasion, chief minister Yogi Adityanath will also be present. Only a select few will be present at the bhumi pujan because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to members of the Trust, PM Modi is also likely to announce projects for Ayodhya worth several thousand crore during his visit to Ayodhya.
Chief minister Adityanath has already instructed senior officials of the state government to prepare a proposal for Ayodhya’s development which will be forwarded to the Centre.
Ram temple construction committee chairman Nripendra Misra, who is also considered the PMO’s emissary on Ayodhya, was in the temple town for three days to discuss essential matters related to the construction of the temple ahead of what will be Modi’s maiden visit to Ayodhya .
Misra reached Ayodhya late on July 15 evening. He left on Sunday morning after paying obeisance at the Hanuman Garhi temple.
“During his stay in Ayodhya, Nripendra Misra examined pre-construction activity carried out at the Ram Janmabhoomi till date. He also discussed all important aspects related to construction of Ram temple and PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Ayodhya for bhumi pujan of the Ram temple,” said Mahant Kamal Nayan Das.
Engineers of Larsen and Toubro, the company that will construct the Ram temple, and Nikhil Sompura, son of chief architect Chandrakant Sompura, were also present in Ayodhya. Misra discussed the issue of soil testing with the engineers. Larsen and Toubro is carrying out soil testing from 60 metres below the ground. It will carry out construction of the Ram temple without charging any fee.
