The Ram Mandir Consecration ceremony is all set to be held on 22nd January 2024 in Ayodhya. Celebration accross the country and even overseas can be witnessed. The ceremony will begin after noon and will continue for 1 hour. Various celebrities including sportsmen, bollywood celebrities and other celebrities will be attending the event. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, will be the main host of the event, referred to as “yajman”.
The temple will be open to visit for the general public from 23rd January 2024. As the “Pran Pratishtha” Ceremony is taking place in Ayodhya, here are aome facts to know about the scared Ram Mandir.
Key facts about Ram Mandir
1. Ayodhya is the birthplace of Lord Shri Ram and hence the Ram Mandir is considered to be most sacred pilgrimage site for Hindus.
2. The foundation stone for the Ram Mandir was laid on August 5, 2020, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
3. Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra oversees and manage the temple. The trust was created by the central government on the orders of the Supreme Court, is also overseeing the construction of the temple, which has an area of 2.7 acres, according to its website. Larsen And Tourbo (L&T) is undertaking the construction of the Ram Temple.
4. The temple is located on the banks of the Sarayu River, adding on to the beauty of Ram Mandir for its visitors.
5. The Ram Mandir Aarti timings:
Jagaran or Shringar Aarti – 6:30 AM
Bhog Aarti – 12:00 Noon
Sandhya Aarti – 7:30 PM
To attend the Aarti, individuals need a pass issued by the trust, for which a valid ID proof must be presented.
6. The Ram Mandir Darshan Timings: 7:00 AM to 11:30 AM and from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
7. Only 30 people at a time can attend the Aarti. The entry cost to attend the aarti is free but attendees must have a pass. General entry fees to visit the temple is also free.
8. Mysuru sculptor Arun Yogiraj has carved the idol of ‘Ram Lalla’ or infant Ram. The new idol is made of black stone and weighs somewhere between 150-200kgs. The idol depicts the deity as a five-year-old boy in a standing posture.
9. The estimated cost of construction of the temple as per Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is ₹ 1,800 crore which includes construction expenses, material costs, machinery, labour, and other administrative expenditures.
In October last year, a PTI report also said that the trust spent ₹ 900 crore on the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya between February 5, 2020 and March 31, 2023.
10. In the compound, there are four temples at each corner dedicated to different deities: the Sun god, goddess Bhagwati, Lord Ganesha, and Lord Shiva. The northern side has the temple of Maa Annapurna, while the southern side has a Hanuman temple.
11. The Ayodhya Ram temple’s foundation is made of a 14-meter-thick layer of roller-compacted concrete (RCC), giving it the look of artificial rock. To protect against ground moisture, a 21-foot-high plinth has been built using granite. The entire construction is using local technology, with a focus on environmental water conservation.
12. The construction committee chairperson, Nripendra Misra, mentioned that the three-storeyed Ram temple in Ayodhya will be completed by December of this year.