First meeting of Ram Mandir Trust held in Ayodhya

The first meeting of the newly constituted Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Trust was held in Ayodhya on Sunday. Though Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was in Ayodhya, he was kept busy by other engagements including the organization of a health mela and the inspection of primary and community health centres. Yet he did mention in passing that the long cherished dream of the temple would now come to fruition in an atmosphere of goodwill. 

Champat Rai, the general secretary of the Ram Mandir Trust, said that the movement for the temple had been successful because of the ‘pious movement’ of those who lived within the sacred 84 kos which was home to countless temples. 

Rai addressed a meeting of representatives from Ayodhya, Basti, Ambedkarnagar and Barabanki. All these fall within the 84 kos which house numerous relics and places related to the life of Lord Ram. An increased influx of tourists is expected in these areas with the start of the construction of the Ram Temple. 

He said it was time to look beyond Lord Ram as a religious figure, “He is a symbol of social harmony. The dreams of our ancestors will now come true. It is the Lord’s blessings that we will become the generation to fulfil the dream of giving him a home”. 

Sharad Sharma, the spokesperson of the VHP, clarified the position on the asking of donations of Rs 10 from households to contribute to the construction of the temple. 

“The VHP had initially collected Rs 8 crores for the construction of the temple and that money has gone into the work which had been done till now- for instance the carving of the pillars. The remainder of the money- in the form of fixed deposits has been given to the new Trust. After the court ruling many individuals had offered donations in crores for the construction but the Trust wants it to be a temple to which every Hindu has contributed, Hence the call for the donation”, he told THE WEEK. 

Sharma also added that a decision on the scale of the Ram Naumi celebrations is likely to take place in the next meeting planned in March, though a date for the same has not been set.