Ayodhya: The meeting should also deliberate on the design of the Ram temple
Lucknow:
In the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic that shows no signs of slowing down, the Ram Mandir Trust, established on instructions from the Supreme Court to facilitate the construction of a temple for Lord Ram in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, will meet today in the city.
This will be the first official meeting of the trust in Ayodhya and all members should deliberate on a possible date for the start of construction of the temple, already delayed due to the pandemic.
Sources said the trust was turning to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to travel to Ayodhya in the first week of August to carry out a “bhoomi puja“on the Ram Janmabhoomi site, paving the way for the start of construction.
But it will depend a lot on the situation of COVID-19, which for the moment is fluid with cases which are increasing rapidly.
In the past few months, the land inside the 67-acre Ayodhya complex that will house the temple has been leveled so that things are ready for actual construction.
The meeting is also expected to deliberate on the design of the Temple of Ram. Sources said that a drawing already in place of Vishwa Hindu Parishad had the most favorable opinion. A timetable for the construction of the temple should also be discussed at the meeting.
Uttar Pradesh will see assembly elections in early 2022. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a regular visitor to Ayodhya during his three-year term so far, is expected to lead the BJP electoral blitz.
In the years that Mr. Adityanath has been chief minister, development projects worth millions of dollars have been sanctioned for Ayodhya, as well as a multitude of statues and other religious monuments.
