The grand Ram temple in Ayodhya is set to open for the public in January 2024 after the installation of Ram Lalla’s idol on the Makar Sankranti, according to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Khestra (SRJTK).
SRJTK is the trust that is overseeing the construction work of the grand temple. According to its general secretary, Champat Rai, 50 per cent of the construction work is done.
Rai also said that around “15 per cent of the work related to the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Mandir has been completed”. “Grand celebrations for the opening of Ram Mandir will start in December this year and will continue till Makar Sankranti on January 14, 2024,” Rai told reporters. “Idols of Ram Lalla will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple on Makar Sankranti in 2024.”
The main temple is being constructed on a space of 350 feet by 250 feet and it will have 12 gates made up of teak wood, he said. A total of 166 pillars will be installed on the ground floor, 144 on the first floor and 82 pillars on the second floor of the temple.
“Around 4.70 lakh cubic feet of carved stones will be used for the construction of the main structure of Ram temple. Pillars and stone slabs carved at the workshop in Ayodhya are being used first,” he said.
Built at a cost of ₹1,800 crores, the temple will be earthquake-resistant and sturdy enough to last over 1,000 years.
The Trust has also prepared a master plan for the remaining area of Ram Janmabhoomi, which will be left after the construction of the grand temple.
According to the master plan, temples of various saints – like Rishi Valmiki, Acharya Vashisth, Rishi Vishwamitra and Agastya Rishi – along with Nishad Raj, Jatayu, and Mata Sabri will be built within a 70-acre area in the vicinity of the Ram temple.
The master plan also proposed various pilgrim facilities such as Yagya Mandap, Anusthan Mandap, and Sant Niwas, a museum, research centre and library in the remaining space.
On October 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspected the construction work of the temple during his visit to Ayodhya to celebrate Deepotsav. PM Modi performed the “Bhoomi pujan” for the construction of the temple on August 5, 2020, after the Supreme Court on November 9, 2019, paved the way for the temple in Ayodhya.