Ayodhya: The meeting is also expected to deliberate on the design of the Ram temple
Amid a raging COVID-19 pandemic that shows no signs of abating, the Ram Mandir Trust, set up on the Supreme Court's directions to facilitate the construction of a temple for Lord Ram in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya, will meet at the town today.
This will be the trust's first formal meeting in Ayodhya and all members are expected to deliberate upon a possible date for beginning of temple construction, already delayed because of the pandemic.
Sources said the trust is looking at Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Ayodhya in the first week of August to perform a "bhoomi puja" at the Ram Janmabhoomi site, paving the way for beginning of construction.
But much will depend on the COVID-19 situation, which at the moment is fluid with cases rising fast.
In the last few months, land inside the 67-acre complex in Ayodhya that will house the temple has been levelled to get things ready for the actual construction.
The meeting is also expected to deliberate on the design of the Ram temple. Sources said a design already in place from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has the most favourable opinion. A time frame for the temple construction is also expected to be discussed in the meeting.
Uttar Pradesh will see assembly elections in early 2022. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a regular visitor to Ayodhya in his three-year tenure so far, is expected to lead the BJP's election blitz.
In the years that Mr Adityanath has been the Chief Minister, development projects worth crores have been sanctioned for Ayodhya, plus a host of statues and other religious landmarks.