Ground floor of Lord Ram temple ready, other floors by yearend

The construction of the three-storeyed Ram temple in Ayodhya will be completed by December this year, temple construction committee chairperson Nripendra Misra said on Thursday. The sprawling temple complex will also have other structures.

In an interview to PTI, Misra said, "We all are abiding by the maryada" espoused by Lord Ram while executing the work.

Ayodhya is getting decked up for the consecration ceremony at the temple on January 22 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend it.

More than 7,000 people have been invited to the ceremony by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust.

"Right now, the ground floor has been built, first and second floors will be completed by December 2024," Misra said when asked about the progress of the construction work.

Asked about the challenges in the construction work, he said, "Challenges come up every day. But, I feel, the challenges got resolved on their own. Next morning, we would see the solutions coming up on its own."

The trust's general secretary Champat Rai has given "clear instructions that no such work be done in a manner which is against the rules, principles, life of Maryada Purshottam Ram".

"He is very clear. Whatever tax is to be submitted to the government, (has to) be done. So we all (are) abiding by that 'maryada'," Misra said.

The temple construction committee chairperson said they hoped that devotees will be satisfied with the quality of construction and it longevity.

They expect it to last at least 1,000 years, hence "our responsibilities have also increased," Misra said.

On the choice of idol, he said the decision will be shared by Rai.

Three sculptors are carving out as many idols and one of them will be installed at the temple.

At an emergency meeting recently, trust members have graded the three statues on a scale, he said, adding that Rai will share the decision at "an appropriate time".

"It is clear, the trust will take all three statues. And, in future, how will those statues be used, the trust will decide. One of the three statues will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple," he said.

Asked about the crowd they are anticipating after the temple opens to public, he said, "It is my estimate that in the next 4-5 months, per day, at least 75,000 to one lakh people will visit it."

The Supreme Court in a 2019 verdict had paved the way for the construction of a Ram temple by a trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot an alternative five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque at a "prominent" place in the holy town of Uttar Pradesh.

The court had ruled that the 2.77 acres of the disputed land where the demolished 16th century-era Babri Masjid once stood will remain with a central government receiver and be handed over to the trust within three months of the ruling for the construction of the temple.