At the meeting held at the Faizabad Circuit House, the trust members also unanimously decided to make space for idols of prominent Hindu seers in the temple complex.
Tag: Ram Temple
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Ayodhya temple: Donation cheques worth Rs 22 crore bounce
Express News Service
LUCKNOW: The donation campaign, which was spearheaded by Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) towards the construction of the Ram temple on Shree Ram Janmabhoomi premises, has led the coffers of the temple trust brimming with Rs 5457.94 crore but the tentative report of the team monitoring the donation campaign at all India level has claimed that the cheques worth Rs 22 crore of the corpus have bounced.
On the other, the figure of the total amount collected so far is tentative as a district-wise audit of the trust accounts is going on. As per the trust sources, a new audit report was being prepared separating the cheques which were bounced.
Moreover, each bounced cheques is being examined to ascertain the reason for which it got bounced. “The cheques which were bounced due to technical reasons would be represented again after taking the consent of the bank concerned,” said a member of the trust.
It may be recalled that a 44-day fund-raising campaign was launched by the temple trust and the VHP on January 14, 2021. The initial campaign had resulted in the collection of Rs 2100 crore at its conclusion on February 28, 2021.
Before launching the campaign, the temple trust had given an estimated projection of Rs 1100 crore for the construction of temple premises. The temple alone was estimated to be constructed at a cost of Rs 300-400 crore. Till June last year, the Temple Trust had got a total of Rs 3,200 crore collected through people’s donation in its account. As per trust general secretary Champat Rai, the initial sum was collected after a campaign with 11 crore families at five crore eleven lakh places across the country.
ALSO READ | Ram temple foundation in Ayodhya to be completed this month, consecration by December 2023: VHP
At present, according to the report of the team monitoring the donations, of the total amount of over Rs 5400 crore, Rs 2235.97 crore were received by coupons and receipts, Rs 2753.97 were collected through digital medium and Rs 450 crore were collected in the savings account owned by the temple trust in SBI, PNB and Bank of Baroda (BOB). The trust had got donation coupons printed for Rs 10, Rs 100 and Rs 1000.
The donation amount more than Rs 1000 was accepted by the temple trust on the receipts it issued to the donator.
As per a report of the trust, Rs 30.99 crore were collected through Rs 10 coupon, Rs 372.48 crore were collected through Rs 100 coupon and Rs 225.46 crore came through Rs 1000 coupons. Moreover, Rs 1625.04 crore was collected through receipts.
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Aditya Thackeray offers prayers in Ayodhya, resolves to serve people better with blessings of Lord Ram
Express News Service
LUCKNOW: Maharashtra cabinet minister and son of CM Uddhav Thackrey, Aditya Thackeray, who reached temple town of Ayodhya and had darshan of Ram Lalla on Wednesday, resolved to serve people better with his blessings. He along with thousands of Shiv Sainiks was on a day-long visit to Ayodhya and offered prayers at the Ram Temple on Janmbhoomi premises.
On his first visit to the temple town after becoming the minister in Maha Agadi government, Aditya visited Janambhoomi premises, Hanuman Garhi and also participated in Saryu ‘aarti’ at the banks of the holy river in the evening. The Shiv Sena leader also met his party functionaries and interacted with the media.
While interacting with media persons after taking darshan of Ram Lalla, Thackeray expressed his gratitude to the people of Ayodhya for giving him a rousing welcome and promised to visit the temple town again. He said that he was visiting Ayodhya as a Ram devotee as Lord Ram and Goddess Sita were there in his heart.
“We all are the descendants of Lord Ram and we are related to the people of Ayodhya. We come here to seek the blessing of Lord Ram so that we can serve the people. No politics is involved in it as it is a matter of faith for us and for the whole country,” he said.
When asked about the controversy over the Gyanvapi mosque and the ongoing litigation, Aditya Thackeray refused to get dragged into it saying since he was in Ayodhya so he would talk only about Ayodhya.
On being asked about the Enforcement Directorate (ED) grilling Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case, Thackeray claimed that central agencies had turned more into advertising literature of the BJP.
Thackeray also claimed that his father and Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray would soon speak to his UP counterpart Yogi Adityanath to ask for some space where a Maharashtra Sadan could be built in Ayodhya to facilitate the stay of Maharashtra devotees in the temple town.
Earlier, on his arrival in Lucknow on Wednesday morning, Aditya Thackeray steared clear of politics at the airport saying: “We have been coming to Ayodhya and Lord Ram is in our hearts. Even in 2018, when I came for the first time, we had said ‘Pehle Mandir Fir Sarkar’ (first the temple then the government).
That created an atmosphere and the Supreme Court gave its decision in favour of temple in 2019. Now after the order of the court, the construction of Ram Temple has finally started. I am here to pray and seek blessings of Ram Lalla to serve people better.”
On the question of protest by a group of seers in Ayodhya against his visit, Thackeray said, “I won’t get into any allegation or counter allegation. This is a holy place and politics should be kept away from it. This is the land of Ram Rajya and the faith of crores of Indians is linked to Ayodhya. We are ardent followers of Lord Ram and today I am here only for darshan. We pray that we perform only good deeds.”
It may be mentioned that the priest of Hanuman Garhi Mahant Raju Das and some other seers of the temple town had opposed Aditya Thackeray’s visit accusing the Maharashtra government of inaction in case of lynching of two seers in Palghar in 2020.
The seers of Ayodhya also accused Thackerays of “shunning Hindutva and belying the ideals of Shiv Sena founder Bala Saheb Thackeray for the greed of power.”
Over 2,000 Shiv Sainiks, led by senior party leaders Sanjay Raut and Eknath Shinde, had reached the temple town by two trains on Tuesday to welcome Aditya Thackeray.
The Ayodhya district administration had made all preparations beforehand for Thackeray’s visit. Around 1,051 lamps were be lit for Saryu aarti. He performed Abhishek of River Saryu with 1.5 tonnes of milk.
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Good that Yogi Adityanth isn’t BJP’s Ayodhya candidate: Ram Temple chief priest
By PTI
AYODHYA: The chief priest of the Ram Temple here on Monday said it is good that Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath is not contesting the state Assembly polls from this seat as he would have faced a lot of opposition.
When asked why he suggested that Adityanath should not to contest from Ayodhya, Acharya Satyendra Das said he advised this “after asking Ram Lalla (Lord Ram)”.
Das said that he suggested that Adityanath should contest from Gorakhpur as people whose houses and shops were demolished here due to infrastructure projects in the wake of the construction of the temple were opposing him.
“It’s good that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is not contesting from here. I had suggested it earlier and advised that it will be better that he contest from any seat of Gorakhpur. I speak after asking Ram Lalla. I spoke with Ram Lalla’s inspiration,” said Das, who is the chief priest of the makeshift Ram Lalla temple, which is being replaced by a grand temple.
The 84-year-old priest said that the seers here are divided in their opinion and those whose houses and shops were demolished are against him. “All are saying that it’s his work. This opposition is there. I said he better go there (Gorakhpur). He would have won from here but could have faced problems,” the priest said.
There was a strong buzz in political circles that Adityanath would enter the fray from Ayodhya but the BJP leadership decided to field him from the Gorakhpur (Urban) Assembly segment. About the election mood in Ayodhya, Das said it is not yet clear as all parties have not declared their candidates.
The priest, however, said the ruling BJP will not let go the Ram temple issue and it will remain on their agenda. “Earlier, there was Ram Lalla andolan, then came the court’s order and the construction of the Ram temple started. This Ram temple issue will never go away. They will say firing was opened here (on ‘kar sewaks’), application was moved in the court to prevent the construction – but the temple construction is on. They will certainly take the name (of Ram temple). This will not go away,” Das said.
Das hoped to see the completed Ram temple in his lifetime. “Let’s see how many days it takes for the construction to complete. A majority of those who were with me have gone (passed away),” Das said, adding that he will be serving here till his last.
Das said he joined as the priest of the makeshift Ram Lalla temple in 1992, the year the Babri mosque was demolished.
When asked if he was present when the mosque was demolished, Das said, “I was there. It happened before me. I was witness to it. Out of three domes, north and south domes were demolished by ‘kar sewaks’. I took Ram Lalla with its throne in my hand. The demolition was over by 5 pm. Later, ‘kar sewaks’ pitched a tent and levelled the place and by 7 pm, I kept Ram Lalla there.”
When asked whether local politicians have started coming to him to take his blessings, Das said, “Till now, wife of Samajwadi Party leader Pawan Pandey has come to me. He is a strong candidate from the SP.”
Pawan Pandey had won the 2012 Assembly elections from Ayodhya and was made a minister in the previous Akhilesh Yadav government. In 2017, BJP’s Ved Prakash Gupta won the Ayodhya seat. All five Assembly seats in the district–Ayodhya, Bikapur, Rudauli, Gosaiganj and Milkipurare held by the BJP now.
Ayodhya will go to the polls in the fifth phase on February 27.
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Ram temple trust in Ayodhya ropes in TCS to manage accounts as funds cross Rs 3000 crore
Express News Service
LUCKNOW: The Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Trust has entrusted corporate giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) with the management of its funds that have crossed Rs 3,000 crore. TCS is believed to be developing an accounting software for the purpose.
The handover of the management of funds has been initiated in the wake of controversies kicked up over the land deals by the trust. The temple trust general secretary Champat Rai has confirmed the takeover.
According to highly placed sources, the RSS had called three key trust members to Mumbai for a closed-door meeting over the controversial land deals. After the meeting, the move to hand over the accounts to a professional firm was initiated.
TCS has set up its accounts office at Ramghat near Ramjanmabhoomi and is scheduled to come out with the accounting software by December and begin digitisation and management of trust accounts. IT experts from the Tata Group recently gave a presentation of the software to temple construction committee chairman Nripendra Mishra.
Temple trust secretary Champat Rai said the trust’s requirements were discussed with TCS software experts, who are now installing an accounting system. “TCS will digitise and manage our accounts from December,” he said.
It may be recalled that as the trust coffers began to swell during the VHP crowdfunding campaign for the Ram temple construction, the trust website was hacked and a fake portal to siphon off funds was created. Fraudsters also cloned cheques of the temple trust’s bank account and withdrew large sums of money after the PSU bank’s clearing house repeatedly failed to connect to the trust secretary for a final nod before the debit. After botched fund management, the trust got embroiled in court cases over allegations of corruption in land deals, including purchase of nazul land and temples.
Temple trust member Anil Mishra said that the team of chartered accountants would continue to maintain accounts of the income and expenses of the temple trust.
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Ram temple foundation in Ayodhya to be completed this month, consecration by December 2023: VHP
By Express News Service
PUDUCHERRY: The foundation of the Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya will be completed by the end of October this year and it is expected that ‘Bhagwan Sri Ram Lalla’ will be consecrated in the ‘garbhagriha’ (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple by December 2023 when devotees can take darshan, said Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) National General Secretary Milind Parande.
A huge foundation of 400 feet by 300 feet by 50 feet has been created underground and the actual construction of the temple has started, he said at a press conference on Wednesday. Thousands of people are already coming to visit the temple premises, despite the COVID-19 situation, he added.
The VHP leader demanded that the government relinquish its control over temples and hand them over to Hindu society. Stating that churches or mosques are not controlled by the government, he charged the government of adopting discriminatory attitudes towards temples. “Only when certain issues like disputes arise, the government should interfere, otherwise Hindu society should control temples,” he said.
Alleging that temple donations are being misused in many states including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Puducherry, he said that the funds are diverted by the government for non-religious work. Often the funds are used by the government for ‘secular purposes’ or government work. The donation has not been given for such purposes by devotees and hence the funds should be used for ‘seva of deities or dharma prachar’, he said. Till a Hindu societal body is formed, temple funds should not be touched by the government, he said, adding that the government should use their own funds for developmental activities.
The VHP leader urged the Puducherry government to bring in an anti-conversion law to prevent forced conversion of Hindus to other religions. The law should also include provisions to outlaw conversions through marriages in the name of love jihad, he said. Minor girls were abducted and forced to convert in the name of marriage. At present there is the Special Marriage Act to deal with mixed marriages, but stringent provisions are required to establish that the marriage and conversion is not a forced one, he said.
The Supreme Court has given clear directions, based on which the anti-conversion law should be framed, said Parande. Already, some states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand have passed such anti-conversion laws in their respective states and Puducherry should also come up with such a law. He said that he will approach the administration in this regard. The VHP has been demanding a central anti-conversion law for the entire country, he said.
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Ram temple foundation complete, sanctum sanctorum to open by December 2023
Express News Service
LUCKNOW: The foundation of the upcoming temple of Lord Ram on Ramjanmabhoomi premises has reached its completion with the filling of the 48th layer of compact concrete in it. This has raised the temple foundation to 107 metres above sea level, said a senior member of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, the body set up to supervise the temple construction in Ayodhya.
While the temple trust claimed that the first phase of foundation construction for the temple was over, it confirmed that the sanctum sanctorum of the grand Ram temple would be opened for devotees to have darshan by December 2023, a few months before the next Lok Sabha elections due in 2024.
The temple trust had invited the local journalists to Ramjanmabhoomi premises for the first time to have a glimpse of the sprawling 2.77acre foundation, which is 50-foot deep, 400-foot long, and 300-foot wide. It was raised with roller-compacted concrete of stone ash, stone powder, and cement with each layer having a thickness of 12 inch.
Detailing about the next step to be followed, one of the trustees Dr Anil Mishra said that as the first phase of the foundation construction was over, the work would kick off on erecting the 1.5m high raft cast in cement, followed by the plinth to be sculpted from pink sandstone sourced from Mirzapur.
Temple trust general secretary Champat Rai said that 4 lakh cubic feet of pink stones from Mirzapur would be used for constructing the plinth and 1 lakh cubic feet of carved marble from Bansi Paharpur in Rajasthan is ready for sculpting the spire.
It may be recalled that the design of the temple and the foundation underwent many improvisations. The finalisation of the design for the foundation remained suspended for several months after the sand underneath the foundation site was found to be quite loose owing to the stream of river Saryu which was passing through site.
Subsequently, India’s best tech brains hammered out the final foundation blueprint, which took more than a year to roll out after PM Narendra Modi performed the ‘bhoomipujan’ on August 5 last year.
Now, the experts are busy brainstorming on the construction of the outer periphery wall around the main temple complex to ensure its security.
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Ram temple foundation to be ready by October, ‘garbhagriha’ by December 2023: VHP
VHP leader Parande said the construction of the temple will take a little time but the #39;garbhagriha #39; (sanctum sanctorum) will be in place by December 2023.
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Ahead of UP polls, AAP to take out Tiranga Yatras in Ayodhya, Lucknow, Noida
By PTI
NEW DELHI: Ahead of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, the AAP will take out a Tiranga Yatras in Ayodhya, Lucknow and Noida to mark the 75th year of India’s Independence, party leaders said.
In Ayodhya, party sources said the yatra will make a brief halt at the Ram temple.
The yatra is scheduled for mid-September.
The AAP will also hold Tiranga Yatras in Agra on Sunday and Noida on September 1, AAP leader Sanjay Singh said.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia will participate in these yatras.
Party leaders said as the country is marking the 75th year of Independence, the yatra aims to unite people against the politics of casteism and corruption.
Assembly polls are scheduled to be held in Uttar Pradesh next year.
The AAP has announced its plan to contest polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.
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Ayodhya to tap sunlight to power its transformation as L&T asked to prepare report
Express News Service
LUCKNOW: Ayodhya is in line for transformation into a solar city as the engineering firm Larsen & Toubro (L&T), involved in the construction of the temple on Ram Janmabhoomi premises, has been asked to prepare a detailed project report.
As per highly-placed sources, the decision to make the temple town a solar city was taken based on its future power requirements.
The makeover of Ayodhya into Navya Ayodhya, the upcoming Ram temple complex and other attractions will strain the power infrastructure, which can be eased by adopting green power, the panels of which would be installed on roof tops, said the sources.
The sources also claimed that the state government was contemplating to amend Solar Policy, 2017, to provide more incentives to residents opting for rooftop solar panels to replicate the Ayodhya model in other cities, especially those of religious importance.
“This will treated as the pilot project in the first phase after which some other cities will also be identified for similar development,” said a senior official Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) said.
An L&T survey found that Ayodhya’s 3,40,000 population, living in 81,000 households consume 281 million units of power annually.
As per the New and Renewable Energy Development Agency officials, it has a four-pronged strategy in Ayodhya — solar power generation from ground-mounted utility scale and solar plants, arranging solar cooking for community kitchens for devotees visiting the Ram Temple, fulfilling energy requirement of the Shri Ram Temple Complex from solar and other renewable sources.
Simultaneously, the NEDA has also proposed changes to the state’s solar policy, seeking more incentives to encourage people, government, semi-government and commercial bodies to install rooftop panels.
The amendment proposals were sent to the government, which was likely to take a call on the issue soon, said the officials.