5-Year-Old 'Ram Lalla's' Idol To Be Installed In Ayodhya Temple's Sanctum Sanctorum

An idol of Lord Ram in his child-like form (Ram Lalla) will be installed in the pure white Makrana marble sanctum sanctorum of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya next month, the temple trust informed on Wednesday.

Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, Champat Rai said that a 51-inch tall idol of Lord Ram reflecting a five-year-old child --Ram Lalla-- would be selected among three designs. "The one which has the best divineness and will display a child look will be selected," he said.

Champat Rai, while describing the map of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple said that a total of 21-22 lakh cubic feet of stone has been used in the construction of the entire structure. "Such a big stone structure would not have been built in Northern India even in the last 100-200 years, not even in the South," he said.

"A foundation of 56-layered artificial rock, created by engineers, has been laid below the structure. Second, a plinth comprising 17000 granite blocks from Karnataka and Telangana has been laid up to 21 feet above the ground. Around five lakh cubic feet of pink colour sandstone from Bharatpur, Rajasthan have been used to construct the temple structure. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple is made up of pure white Makrana marble, which is ready," he told reporters here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple on January 22. Preparations are underway in full swing for the event, which will draw dignitaries and people from all walks of life.

The trust secretary said that the temple is being constructed on the northern part of the 70-acre land, handed over to Hindus by Supreme Court in 2019.

"Three-storeyed temple is being built here. Work for the ground floor of the temple is complete, the first floor is under construction. The temple is enclosed by a four-cornered wall --Prakara -- with a running length of nearly 750 metres," Rai said.

He said that the uniqueness of the wall protecting the temple is that it is 14 feet wide.

"The Prakara will also be double-storeyed, with devotees to be allowed to do the Parikrama (circumambulation) of the temple on the upper floor," he said.

The Prakara is under construction and may take upto 6-8 months more, Rai added.

Briefing about the facilities for the pilgrims visiting the temple he said, "Locker facilities for 25,000 pilgrims have been made at Pilgrimage Facility Centre (PFC). A small hospital will also be built near the PFC. A huge complex has also been made for the pilgrims for toilets and other facilities, two sewer treatment plants are also being made here where the waste material from this complex will be treated."

The Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra said that the electricity supply has been taken directly from the powerhouse.
"We have taken a direct dedicated line from the powerhouse, 33 KW, its receiving station and three distribution stations have been built inside the premises, there will be no pressure on the electrical line of the Municipal Corporation," he added.

The trust secretary said that in case, the fire brigade needs water, then an underground water reservoir has also been dug near the structure.

"If needed, we will take water from the Saryu River or from the ground. But ground water will go into the ground only. Construction is underway in more than 20 acres of land here and there is greenery in 50 acres. These trees are a hundred years old. There are such dense forests where the sun's rays do not reach the ground. So the water level of the land will never go down. Water will not go into Saryu, we are working on a zero discharge policy," he added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive at the temple city on Saturday to inaugurate the Ayodhya airport and the railway station, which is being revamped especially on the temple model.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)