After the installation of the deity's statues, the magnificent Ram temple in Ayodhya would be ready for visitors in January 2024, according to a significant figure in the trust established to oversee its construction.
On Tuesday, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Khestra said that 50% of the temple's building work had been finished and that overall progress had been good.
"The temple will be open to devotees in January 2024 after the installation of idols of Ram Lalla in the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine on the festival of Makar Sankranti," trust general secretary Champat Rai told PTI.
"An estimated ₹ 1,800 crore will be spent on building the Ram temple," Mr Rai said, adding that space will be made for idols of prominent Hindu seers.
The design calls for the construction of temples honouring Valmiki, Kewat, Shabari, Jatayu, Sita, Vighneshwar (Ganesh), and Sheshavatar (Lakshman) inside a 70-acre area next to the Ram temple.
The area of the temple and its courtyard are included in the eight acres of land that will be enclosed by a rectangular, two-story "Parikrama" road. There will be a sandstone entryway on its eastern side. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple will be constructed using white marble taken from the Makrana Hills in Rajasthan.
The Trust has also created a master plan for the land of the Ram Janmabhoomi that was left over after the temple was built.
On August 5, 2020, the prime minister performed the "Bhoomi puja" in preparation for building the temple. The construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya was made possible by a Supreme Court decision on November 9, 2019.
