FROM BEING a lalla [baby] born near the Sarayu that flows serenely through Ayodhya, Lord Ram will rise from the banks and tower over the temple town by 2019. It is part of the Ayodhya redevelopment plans of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who, along with his cabinet colleagues, is celebrating Diwali, the festival marking the return of Ram from Lanka after slaying Ravana, in Ayodhya this year.
Whether or not they are able to show the people a Ram mandir at the disputed Ramjanmabhoomi, the Yogi government hopes to showcase a gigantic statue of Ram on the Sarayu. The UP tourism department made a presentation on October 10 before Governor Ram Naik on promoting religious tourism in the state, which included plans for the statue as well.
The government has, however, sought to delink the proposed statue from the Ram temple at the Ramjanmabhoomi. The statue is part of another package along with a Ramayana gallery, a light and sound programme and an auditorium among others, to make Ayodhya a major tourist destination like Agra or Varanasi.
There are conjectures that the statue will be more than 100 metres tall, and cost estimates vary from Rs 200 crore to Rs 330 crore. Tourism secretary Awanish Awasthi told the media, “It is a concept proposal. We are yet to work out the finer details including the location of the statue on the banks of the Sarayu. Only then will we seek clearance from the National Green Tribunal.”
According to Sharad Sharma, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad spokesperson at Karsevakpuram, the site mentioned by the tourism secretary is exactly three kilometres from Ramjanmabhoomi. “The proposal has nothing to do with the mandir construction. Awasthi said tourism centres the world over had statues of local heroes. In Ayodhya, Lord Ram’s statue is a natural choice.”
