Though stones and bricks for the construction of Ram temple have started arriving at Ayodhya (in the form of donations), it will take at least five years for the temple construction to be completed. Girish Bhai, who looks after the workshop where stones are being chiselled, said that even if the number of artisans and workers were increased manifold, it would take five years for the task to reach completion. At present, there are 12 employees in the workshop.
112 pillars have to be built for the temple; 106 have been completed so far. On Wednesday, three truck-loads of bricks and stones had reached Ayodhya.
The head of Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas (Ram Birthplace Trust), Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, said that all the bricks for the temple were arriving in the form of donations. About 75,000 cubic feet of stone are yet to come. He said that the complete construction of temple would require 1.75 lakh cubic feet of stones; 1 lakh cubic feet is already within reach. The remaining 75,000 cubic feet stone would cost over Rs 5 crore.
According to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) spokesperson Sharad Sharma Ram, Janmabhoomi Nyas has not ordered the purchase of stones, but interested donors have been contacting the Delhi VHP office.
Mahant Nritya Gopal Das believes that, after the initial impediments, the atmosphere is conducive for the construction of the temple. The sales tax officials of Faizabad district also confirmed that the concerned department had given the permission to transport stones.
