The trust overseeing the construction of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya has decided to distribute sacred grain rice (akshata), offered to the deity at the Ram Janmabhoomi, to 500,000 villages across the country ahead of the consecration ceremony of the deity scheduled in January next year.
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The extensive initiative, which is in line with the one taken during the Ram temple movement in 1980s, was approved by the board of trustees of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra in Ayodhya on Saturday, general secretary of the trust Champat Rai told the reporters.
“During the over three-hour meeting, the trust board approved the proposal to reach out to five lakh villages throughout the country between January 1 and 15,” Rai said. “Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) volunteers will arrive in Ayodhya from 50 VHP centres after Dussehra to collect the akshata.”
In November and December, the volunteers will strategise how to implement the initiative, Rai added.
It was also decided in the meeting that people across the country will be urged to light five earthen diyas (lamps) at their doorsteps on the day of the consecration of Ram Lalla’s idol in the grand temple in Ayodhya.
Chairman of the trust, Mahant Nritya Gopal, and chairman of the Ram temple construction committee, Nripendra Misra, also attended the meeting. Out of the 15 members on the board, 11 attended the meeting in person, while three, including Supreme Court lawyer K Parasaran, attended virtually.
{{/usCountry}}Chairman of the trust, Mahant Nritya Gopal, and chairman of the Ram temple construction committee, Nripendra Misra, also attended the meeting. Out of the 15 members on the board, 11 attended the meeting in person, while three, including Supreme Court lawyer K Parasaran, attended virtually.
{{/usCountry}}The board approved a proposal to distribute 10 crore [100 million] pictures of the Ram Lalla’s idol, the one that will be installed at the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram temple, to devotees visiting Ayodhya over the next two to three years, a trust official said.
The trust will also sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Uttar Pradesh government on October 9 to transfer the Ram Katha Sanghralaya (museum) in Ayodhya to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath will be present at the event in Lucknow, the official said.
The trust has also informed that it incurred an expenditure of ₹900 crore on the construction of the Ram temple till March 31. The temple’s bhumi pujan was performed on August 5, 2020, and it was presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.