Ram Mandir: Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, said on Friday that its construction would be completed “on time” and the idol of Ram Lalla would be installed on January 14, 2024.
His statement comes a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be ready by January 1 next year.
Rai said, “As per the plan, the idol of Ram Lalla will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple on Makar Sankranti (January 14) in 2024.” He further said that the construction of the sanctum sanctorum is expected to be completed.
Rai commented, “We have fixed the deadline for the construction of the temple at December 2023 and January 2024 to open it for devotees.”
Shah publicly announced the date of opening of the temple
Earlier on Thursday, January 5, Shah announced that the Ram temple in Ayodhya would be ready by January 1, 2024, while taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi ‘taareekh nahi bataenge’ Remarks during the 2019 election campaign.
Addressing a rally in South Tripura, Amit Shah said, “Rahul baba, hear from Sabroom that a huge Ram temple will be ready on January 1, 2024.” Significantly, this is the first time that the date for the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya has been publicly announced by Shah.
It is noteworthy that on August 5, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had performed ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ for the construction of the temple. During his visit to Ayodhya on October 23, 2022, he also reviewed the progress of the construction work after offering prayers to Ramlala at the temporary temple.
(With PTI inputs)