Ayodhya: Lord Ram's idol to be installed in Ram Mandir by January 2024, says Janmabhoomi Trust

The idol of Lord Ram will be placed at the sanctum sanctorum in the Grand Ram temple in Ayodhya around January 14, 2024, said Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary, Champat Rai on Monday.

He said that the ground floor of the grand temple that is presently under construction will be ready by the end of next year, i.e. December 2023.

"Ram Mandir Construction Committee's meeting has concluded. The ground floor of the temple (Ram Mandir) will be ready by December 2023 and after 15 days i.e around 14 January 2024, idol of Lord Ram will be installed in the temple," said Rai.

Ayodhya, UP Ram Mandir Construction Committee's meeting is concluded. Ground floor of temple Ram Mandirwill be ready by Dec 2023  after 15 days i.e around 14 Jan 2024, Lord Ram will be installed in the temple Champat Rai, General Secy, Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust pic.twitter.com/hpzbEiTXWn

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) September 12, 2022

Earlier, the Ram Mandir Trust meeting was held at the Circuit House of Ayodhya, in which discussions were held on mainly three topics. The construction cost of the temple was one of them, which after an 18-month deliberation has been estimated at Rs 1,800 crore. The cost was revised in the past which had earlier come out to be Rs 400 crore.

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"Meeting of Shri Ram Janamabhoomi trust was held. We discussed construction expenses of the Ram temple and it was estimated to be Rs 1,800 crore which could be changed later. The rules of the trust and other statues to be installed in the temple were discussed too," said Rai.

"When the construction of the temple started, the cost of it was not able to be decided. After consideration, it came to the fore that its cost may come to Rs 400 crore. But when it was considered further, the cost kept changing. The discussions were on for 18 months and it came to the fore that its cost could come to around Rs 1,800 crore which could be changed later. Discussions were held on the rules and regulations to be followed in the trust. The rules were ultimately finalised," he added.

The meeting of the Building Construction Committee is held every month. The foundation stone for the construction of Ram Temple's 'Garbha Griha' or the sanctum sanctorum of the temple was laid by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in June this year.

The construction of the temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya is going on at a fast pace. On August 5, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Ram temple and since then the construction work of the temple has been going on.

The five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi (now retired) had on November 9, 2019, unanimously delivered its verdict that the land in Ayodhya where Babri Masjid once stood, belongs to Ram Lalla.