The ground floor of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, will be ready by the end of year 2023 with devotees being able to get the opportunity to have a darshan of Lord Ram then, CNN-News18 has learnt from sources in the Ram Temple Trust.
August 5, 2021 marks one year of the Bhoomi Pujan of the temple by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ayodhya. The entire complex could be completed by 2025 and could cost around Rs 1,000 crore. The temple Trust already has got donations in the excess of Rs 3,000 crore. The temple complex is expected to be in an area of 110 acres, much larger than the original area of around 67 acres, with the Trust acquiring more land in the vicinity of the existing complex.
“All five mandaps of the Ground Floor and the Garb Griha will be complete by the end of 2023 and laying of stone on the first floor of the temple will also be complete by then. The idols of the Ram Lalla deity will be shifted to the new temple and the Garb Griha in 2023. There is a difference in the completion of the temple and Darshan, and we plan to open the area for visit of devotees by end of 2023,” said a source in the temple Trust. The carving on the stones in the temple and work in rest of the temple complex will remain in progress till 2025. “The construction work of the temple is progressing according to the plan,”
Around 50% of the work of filling the foundation of the temple with Roller Compacted Concrete is also complete as of today after excavation was done till the depth of 12 meters. The work of filling of the foundation of the temple is expected to be completed by September this year. Around 4 lakh cubic feet stone will be used in the temple construction with Rajasthan stone and marble being used. The height of the sanctum sanctorum ‘Shikhar’ will be 161 feet from the ground floor, the length of the temple will be 360 feet, width 235 feet and height of each floor will be 20 feet. The temple will have three floors and possibly a Ram Darbar on the first floor.