Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra Trust has informed that Rs 113 crore was spent on the arrangements for the ceremony of Prana Pratishtha of the idol of Ramlala in Ayodhya on 22 January. After the recent quarterly meeting of the Board of Trustees of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra, the Trust presented the annual accounts for the financial year 2023-24. Well-known personalities of the country participated in the Ramlala Prana Pratishtha program. Its rituals started from 16 January. Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted the Prana Pratishtha program on 22 January as the chief host. On this day Ramlala was seated in his sanctum sanctorum. This week-long ritual was conducted by more than 100 leading scholars from Delhi, Kashi and Ayodhya including South India under the leadership of Lakshmikant Dixit and Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid.
As part of the celebrations, 45-day Mandala Utsav and Seva Raga Utsav were also held in which Vedic Acharyas from South India participated. During the celebrations, famous and renowned artists from across the country gave their performances. After Ramlala Pran Pratishtha, large scale arrangements were made by Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust for the Ram devotees who came from all parts of the country and the world. Arrangements were made for the stay and food of the devotees. Free food distribution was also organized.
Apart from various subjects, the annual accounts of the financial year 2023-24 were presented in the trust meeting. On this basis, the ITR (Income Tax Return) of the organization will be filed in the month of September. In this financial year, 18 hundred crores have been spent on the construction of the temple so far, including the total expenditure on infrastructure and revenue items including Ram temple. The total actual expenditure in this financial year is said to be 676 crores, in which 540 crores have been spent on temple construction and 136 crores on other items. Rs 113 crore was spent on the Pran Pratishtha program. These include Rs 35.97 crore on permanent shed and tent city, Rs 30.85 crore on Akshat Poojan programme, Rs 21.77 crore on advertisement, Rs 14.62 crore on decoration lighting, Rs 5.11 crore on food grains, Rs 1.06 crore on Poojan-Anushthan, Rs 93 lakh on Raag Seva, Rs 68 lakh on loud speaker, Rs 43 lakh on electricity arrangement, Rs 43 lakh on Mandal Poojan, Rs 43 lakh on traffic arrangement and Rs 51 lakh on other preparations. Rs 8 lakh was spent on office arrangements.
Giving information about the approved budget in this meeting, Tirtha Kshetra General Secretary Champat Rai said that the total expenditure between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025 is estimated to be Rs 850 crore. He said that in this estimated expenditure, Rs 670 crore can be spent on temple construction and Rs 180 crore on other items. He gave information about the total expenditure of Rs 676 crore between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024 in the financial year 2023-24. It was told that Rs 540 crore was spent on temple construction while Rs 136 crore was spent on other items. It was also told that the expenditure incurred on the Prana-Pratishtha ceremony is also included in other items.
Ram Darbar made of titanium will also be installed on the first floor of Ram Mandir. The construction of the first floor of Ram Mandir is almost complete. Ram Darbar is to be installed here with white marble. This idol of Ram Darbar is being made in Jaipur. On the other hand, the Tirth Kshetra had earlier decided to build Ram Darbar with titanium (which is used in safety equipment in submarines etc.) but later this idea was abandoned as the consensus was in favor of marble. Still, the idol made of titanium has been made by a devotee as an experiment and it was also handed over to the Tirth Kshetra on Thursday. Regarding this titanium idol, the trustees have decided that this idol should be installed on the first floor as a festival idol. So that they can be included in the special festival. It was told that this idol of Ram Darbar is one and a half feet long, one feet wide and one and a quarter feet high and weighs less too.
204 crores earned as interest from banks
The Tirtha Kshetra General Secretary said that the total income in the financial year 2023-24 was Rs 363 crore 34 lakh, in which the highest income is in the form of interest from banks which is around Rs 204 crore. Similarly, a total of Rs 58 crore was received in the form of cash and cheque at the counter of the Tirtha Kshetra office. At the same time, the amount of Rs 24 crore 50 lakh has been counted in the donation box and deposited in the bank. Similarly, an amount of Rs 71 crore was deposited online by devotees from all over the country in the accounts of the Tirtha Kshetra.