The Parijaat sapling will be planted by PM Modi before the Ram Mandir bhoomi pujan in Ayodhya.
Among the numerous activities planned ahead of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir bhoomi pujan today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to plant a Parijaat sapling in the temple complex using a traditional drip irrigation method.
What makes the tree plantation special is not just the significance of the Parijaat tree in Hindu mythology but the method PM Modi will adopt for its irrigation.
Earlier in July, the Prime Minister had shared an example of this method, which has been in practice in parts of Gujarat where water is scarce. The technique calls for burying water-filled unglazed earthen pots, matkas, parallel to the plant's root system ensuring slow seepage of water in the ground.
"For about a week, you do not need to water the plant again. The pot will act as a natural drip irrigation vehicle," the Prime Minister had said on his blog 'A Daughter, A Tree and A Teacher'.
Stating the list of activities lined up for today, Mahant Rajkumar Das had earlier said the Parijaat sapling will be planted by the PM before the gorund-breaking ceremony.
"Parijaat is considered a divine tree, therefore, PM Modi will plant it. The Prime Minister will go to Shree Ram Janmabhoomi where he will first worship Bhagwan Shree Ramlala Virajman, then plant a Parijaat sapling and subsequently perform bhoomi pujan," Das had told ANI.
The foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya will be done by PM Modi today. He will also unveil a plaque to mark the event and release a commemorative postage stamp on Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir.
The ceremony will be attended by over 175 dignitaries, including 50 VIPs such as Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh Chief Mohan Bhagwat, Iqbal Ansari (former litigant in Ayodhya land dispute case) and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, among others.