The temple trust announced on Wednesday that the pure white Makrana marble sanctum sanctorum of the magnificent Ram Temple in Ayodhya will host an idol of Lord Ram in his childlike form, known as Ram Lalla, starting next month. The secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, Champat Rai, announced that one of three designs would be chosen to create a 51-inch-tall idol of Lord Ram, representing the five-year-old Ram Lalla. He declared, “The one with the greatest divineness and the childlike appearance will be chosen.” According to Champat Rai, who was describing the map of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple, the entire structure was built using 21–22 lakh cubic feet of stone.
“A foundation of 56-layered artificial rock, created by engineers, has been laid below the structure. Second, a plinth comprising 17000 granite blocks from Karnataka and Telangana has been laid up to 21 feet above the ground. Around five lakh cubic feet of pink colour sandstone from Bharatpur, Rajasthan have been used to construct the temple structure. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple is made up of pure white Makrana marble, which is ready,” he told reporters here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple on January 22. Preparations are underway in full swing for the event, which will draw dignitaries and people from all walks of life.
The trust secretary said that the temple is being constructed on the northern part of the 70-acre land, handed over to Hindus by Supreme Court in 2019.