"It's Our Turn Now": Akshay Kumar Rallies Fans For Ayodhya Temple Funding

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar on Sunday sent out a call to fans to contribute for the Lord Ram temple being built in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya following the landmark Supreme Court verdict in the decades-long dispute over the site.

"It is a matter of great pleasure that the construction of our grand temple of Shri Ram has begun in Ayodhya... Now it is our turn to contribute. I have started, hope you will join too. Jai Siyaram," Mr Kumar tweeted in Hindi along with a video.

बहुत खुशी की बात है कि अयोध्या में हमारे श्री राम के भव्य मंदिर का निर्माण शुरू हो चूका है...अब योगदान की बारी हमारी है l मैंने शुरुआत कर दी है, उम्मीद है आप भी साथ जुड़ेंगे l जय सियाराम ???????? pic.twitter.com/5SvzgfBVCf

— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) January 17, 2021

The Supreme Court of India in November 2019 had brought the curtains down on the long-standing religious dispute over the site in Ayodhya, saying it belonged to Lord Ram.

The five-judge constitution bench ruled that a "prominent site" in the same holy town will be allotted for a new mosque, in place of the one unlawfully razed down by Hindu activists in 1992, triggering communal violence across India that left thousands dead.

It ordered the central government to set up a trust to manage and oversee the construction of the temple.

In August 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the construction of the temple at the site.

This month, the temple trust launched a nationwide donation drive with an estimate that it will cost Rs 1,100 crore to build it. Leaders of various political and quasi-political outfits joined the bandwagon, flagging off regional drives that will continue till February 27.

Among prominent donors, President Ram Nath Kovind pledged Rs 5 lakh and one hundred this week.

Volunteers of various organisations will seek Rs 10, Rs 100, or Rs 1,000 - the three types of coupons available against contribution - from Hindu households towards the construction. The trust has decided against using any government fund, money from abroad, or corporate donations.