Some 4,000 saints and 5 lakh devotees are expected to arrive at Ayodhya for a darshan of the Ram temple in January.
A meeting of the Sri Ram Janmabhhomi Teerth Kshetra Trust (SRJTK) got underway at the Maniram Das Chavani on Saturday to oversee preparations for the Mandir which is to be thrown open to devotees in January.
For temporary cities, named after well-known persons will come up in an area of 30 acres to house devotees who are expected to pour in from every part of the country. These will house around 25,000 devotees.
The meeting, which is currently underway, is attended by Mahant Britya Gopal Das, Champat Rai, Nripendra Mishra, Anil Mishra, among others.
Among other issues discussed at the meeting are the expectation that the rush of devotees will be similar to that in 1992—the year in which the Babri Masjid was demolished. Preparations need to be such that devotees are not inconvenienced in any manner and the locals of Ayodhya, too, do not face any hassles.
The initial darshan will be for 40 days in January and February and the total number of expected visitors stands between 50-60 lakhs.
Throughout Ayodhya, 20 kitchens will be operational round the clock to feed devotees. Some 2,000 cooks will work in the same. Large stores are being constructed to store food items.
The pran pratishtha (infusing of life into the idols) shall be performed by saints from Kashi and priests from South India. A likeness of Lord Ram and his brothers shall be taken around the city before being installed in the garb grih (sanctum sanctorum).
The trust has also received permission to get funds from abroad. The details of the manner in which these donations shall be received were also discussed.
Accounts and spending on the areas in the periphery of the main temple complex were also on the agenda.
