"Idol of Ramlala will be installed on day of....," Trust announces date

Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 13 : As Ram temple in Ayodhya nears completion, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Friday said that the idol of Ram Lala would be installed on the Makar Sankranti next year.

"About 40-50 per cent of the construction work of the Ram temple here is complete and on the Makar Sankranti in 2024 the idol of Ram Lalla will be installed," Trust's General Secretary Champat Rai said here addressing the media persons.
He further said that the work on the ground floor which has 170 pillars will be completed by October this year.
"Walls across the garbh greha (sanctum sanctorum) have been prepared, they're called mandovar," he said.
Lord Ramlala's idol will be established in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
"The idol of the garbh greha is an idol of the child Rama, here the deity will be worshipped in his child form," Rai told reporters.
In Ayodhya, Rama is worshipped as a son-in-law, somewhere as a king, somewhere as a nomad (vanvasi), here he will be worshipped in the child form, as Ram Lala.
He said according to plan, the work of Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the idol of Ramlala will be held between January 1 and January 14, 2024.
Rai also said that the idol of Lord Shri Ram will be 8.5 feet tall and it will take 5 to 6 months to build with stones of sky colour.
"The parikrama marg outside the garbh greha is also moving at the same pace, so there is a garbh greha, surrounded by walls, which in turn has a parikrama marg and all three are simultaneously moving up," Rai further said.
Trust's General Secretary also stated, "The white stone in the garbh greha is the class 1 best quality white marble. Its walls, pillars, and floor, everything will be made with marble and apart from the garbh greha, there will be five more mandaps, three ways- from pravesh dwar to garbh greha, and two in the north and the south which is being called as "kleertan mandap"
He further said that it is also being kept in mind that on the day of Ram Navami, the sun rays should fall on the forehead of lord Rama as 'Surya tilak' at 12 pm.
"This is being tried by the Roorke-based central building research institute (CBRI) and its first trial has also been successful. On the basis of this trial, the pedestal of the god's idol will be decided."
Notably, addressing a rally in Tripura's Sabroom where the Assembly election is due in March, Union Minister Amit Shah had announced the inauguration day of the Ram temple.