Ram Temple construction: Pillars carved in Ayodhya to be used first
LUCKNOW : Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust will first use carved pillars and stone slabs from the VHP’s workshop in Ayodhya for the construction of the main structure of Ram temple in the first phase starting from June 1. The temple construction committee said that June 1 is an auspicious date, according to the Hindu religious calendar.CM Yogi Adityanath will attend a two-hour ceremony, which will start around 9am, and lay the first slab amid Vedic rituals to be performed by 11 priests. Adityanath had relocated Ram Lalla from the tent in Ram Janmabhoomi to the makeshift temple on March 25, 2020.
Till date, around 212 pillars have been carved at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas Karyashala (workshop) in Ayodhya. The VHP is operating this workshop since the Ram Mandir movement began in the late 1990s.
Most of these pillars from the workshop have been shifted to Ram Janmabhoomi. After utilising these pillars and stone sabs, the trust will use pink sand stones of Bansi Paharpur from Bharatpur district, Rajasthan.
“Around 4.70 lakh cubic feet carved stones will be used for the construction of the main structure of Ram temple. To start with, pillars and stone slabs carved at the workshop in Ayodhya will be used,” said Champat Rai, general secretary, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
“Carved stones from the three workshops in Pindwara are also being brought to Ayodhya. There is no shortage of carved stones,” said a member of the trust. According to Rai, white Makrana marble stones from Makrana tehsil in Nagaur district of Rajasthan will be used in the construction of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
“Carving of Makrana stones is in progress and some have also been brought to Ayodhya from Rajasthan,” informed the trust.
As many as 166 pillars will be installed on the ground floor of the temple, 144 on the first floor and 82 on the second floor. Larsen and Toubro is carrying out the construction work of the temple while Tata Consulting Engineers is working as the management consultant of the project.