Preparations for temple ceremony in top gear in UP

nLUCKNOW: Preparations for the foundation-laying ceremony of the Ram Temple have kicked into high gear with authorities applying fresh coats of paint on buildings in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya town and donations for the holy structure pouring in ahead of the mega event likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5.

Buildings on both sides of the roads that the Prime Minister’s convoy will take from the helipad at the Saket College in the city to reach the Ram Janmabhoomi site is being spruced up, officials said. The work to paint the buildings on both sides of the three-km stretch and draw sketches of the Ramayana characters on them has been given to Ayodhya Nagar Nigam, said Ayodhya information deputy director Murli Dhar Singh.

While life-size sketches of both Lord Ram and Sita will adorn the helipad at Saket College, sketches and drawings of Ramayana characters will adorn the building walls on both sides of the roads, he said.

Meanwhile, collections for the temple have also swelled in recent days with deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya going to Ayodhya on Tuesday and donating ₹6.6 lakh to the temple trust.

On March 25, chief minister Yogi Adityanath donated ₹11 lakh to the trust.

“The (temple) trust is not averse to taking donations from Muslims, if they are willing to donate,” said Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, the designated successor of Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Das. On Monday, preacher Morari Bapu announced ₹5 crore donation to the trust.

Apart from cash, devotees are also donating gold and silver.

“Around 500 sanitary workers have been deployed in Ayodhya to clean the city for bhumi pujan ceremony. In every ward we are holding meetings to make sure Ayodhya is ready to welcome PM Narendra Modi on August 5,” said Rishikesh Upadhyay, mayor of Ayodhya.