Several saint from Ayodhya, mainly the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad have expressed their wish that Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath lay the foundation stone for the construction of the Ram Temple in the city.
Parishad’s chairperson Mahant Narendra Giri said, 2 July is being considered for the date of beginning the construction work for the temple. Saints would be pleased if the foundation stone for the grand Ram Temple could be laid in the leadership of PM Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath, he said.
Earlier on Wednesday morning, an elaborate Rudra Abhishek ceremony, followed by an aarti was held at the Kuber Tila temple in Ayodhya to mark the beginning of temple construction.
Led by Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, spokesperson for Mahant Nritya Gopal Das (who is the president of the Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust), about 25 priests participated in the rituals.
The Rudra Abhishek, according to the Mahant, was held to pray to Lord Shiva and seek his protection from any obstacles that may come in the way of temple construction.
The preliminary work on the temple site has begun now after the Abhishek.
In view of the Corona crisis, plans to hold a grand bhumi pujan ceremony have been put off for now.
On Monday (8 June) this week, the temporary Ram Temple in Ayodhya opened for devotees after a gap of over two months with precautions in place to prevent the coronavirus spread.
The temple will be open for eight hours from 8 am to 1 pm and then 3 pm to 6 pm every day.
