Ayodhya Ram Temple Consecration Ceremony From January 14, PM To Be Invited

The consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya will take place on January 14, the day of Makar Sankranti. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be invited for the ceremony and the rituals will go on for 10 days, said Nripendra Mishra, chairman of Ram Mandir Construction Committee.Efforts will be made to broadcast the consecration ceremony in the country and abroad, Mr Mishra told NDTV.

Showing the model of the temple, he said the ground floor of the temple, which will be completed by October, will be reserved for "Ram Katha" once the four-storey temple is completed.

The 360 ftX235 ft structure will have 160 columns on the ground floor, 132 columns on the first floor and 74 columns on the second floor. There will be five "mandaps" or pavilions.

Around four lakh cubic feet of stone and marble from Rajasthan will be used for the structure, which will tower 161 feet over the sanctum sanctorum -- there will be no use of steel or bricks.

The temple architecture is of Nagara style. It will have 46 teak wood doors. The door of the sanctum sanctorum will be gold studded.

"The temple will stand for at least a thousand years," Mr Mishra said.

While the main temple will be built over three acres, a perimeter wall will enclose the 9-acre complex. The wall will have sculptures depicting the Ramayan. The three gates and the spire of the temple will be gold plated.

The completed temple complex will include a pilgrim facilitation centre, museum, archives, research centre, auditorium, a cattle shed, a platform for rituals, administrative buildings and lodging for priests.

The temple is expected to be a milestone for the ruling BJP -- which considers the temple movement as the fulcrum for its emergence as a national electoral force in the 1990s.