Rajat Sharma, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of India TV.
Three idols of Ramlala, who will be seated in the grand and divine temple of Maryada Purushottam Lord Shri Ram being built in Ayodhya, are ready. On December 29, one idol will be selected from those three which will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple is ready. All five pavilions have been built. The work on the first floor is almost complete. The work of carving and making sculptures on the walls of the sanctum sanctorum has been finished. Now the work of coating Ramlala’s throne and the doors of the sanctum sanctorum with gold is being done. Now Ram temple is visible from the sky in Ayodhya. Since the work of the temple has almost been completed up to the first floor, the temple has started taking shape, the rampart has been built. The work on the ground floor from the stairs to the sanctum sanctorum has been completed. In the temple complex spread over seventy acres, construction work is being done only on twenty one acres. The rest of the space has been kept completely green. In this also the temple of Ramlala will be in only 2.7 acres. After the completion of the Pran Pratistha ceremony on January 22, devotees will be able to enter the Ram temple from the south gate. There will be 32 stairs as soon as you reach the temple premises. Devotees will proceed towards the sanctum sanctorum through these stairs. There are three gates at the top of the stairs – Singh Dwar, Gaj Dwar and Hanuman Dwar. Through these doors the devotees will reach the verandah present on the ground floor. There are five pavilions here – Nritya Mandap, Rang Mandap, Sabha Mandap, Prarthana Mandap and Kirtan Mandap. There is seating arrangement for the devotees in these pavilions. The walls of the pavilions have magnificent carvings, the pillars are carved with symbols of gods and goddesses and Vedic traditions. After crossing the five pavilions, the devotees will reach the sanctum sanctorum, where the idol of Ramlala will be placed.
The sanctum sanctorum of the temple is being built 20 feet long and 20 feet wide, its height is 161 feet. The sanctum sanctorum has been made so strong with white Makrana marble that it will not get scratched for the next one thousand years. Ram Mandir Construction Committee Chairman Nripendra Mishra said that before the Supreme Court’s decision in 2019, there was a plan to build a small Ram temple in Ayodhya, but when Ram Lalla won in the Supreme Court, the original design of the temple was changed. . The problem was that a lot of the work of building the temple had been done in the last 10 years. The pillars were ready. Carvings were done on them, the temple construction committee decided that the prepared stones would also be used in this new temple. Many of these pillars are such that carving work was done fifteen years ago. At present, the temporary place where the idol of Ramlala is being worshiped will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum itself, its worship will be done according to the same rules as it is done now, but since this idol is small, the devotees will face difficulty in seeing it from a distance. Therefore, now a 51 inch high statue of Ramlala will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum, which will be consecrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22. This idol of Ramlala will be of a 5 year old boy. The idol has been prepared according to the description of the child form of Lord Ram in Balkand in Valmiki Ramayana. Currently, three idols of Ramlala have been made, two of black stone and one of white stone. Now the committee of the trust will choose which of these three statues will be installed. It is expected that in the first week of January, Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust will announce which idol has been selected for consecration. All three idols will be of the child form of God. On January 17, the idol of Lord Ram will go on a city tour of Ayodhya. Then for the first time devotees will be able to see this form of Lord Ram.
The throne on which the 51-inch statue of Ramlala will sit will be three feet high and eight feet wide. With this, the devotees standing outside the sanctum sanctorum will easily be able to see the entire form of Ramlala from his feet to his forehead. The architecture of the idol is such that every year on the day of Ramnavami, the rays of the sun will anoint the brain of Ramlala. Ramlala’s throne will be covered with gold. At present, copper wires are being cut on this throne of about 140 square feet. After this, a layer of gold will be coated over the copper wires. Of the three idols of Ramlala, one will be installed while the other two idols will remain in the temple. There will be a movable idol which will be kept outside or taken out in the city for the darshan of devotees from time to time on festivals and occasions. The big thing is that the temple of Ramlala is being built according to the two thousand years old Panchayat tradition, that is, the place of worship of five Gods and Goddesses at one place. Four more temples of Surya, Shiva, Goddess Bhagwati and Ganapati are built around the sanctum sanctorum at the four corners. There will be a total of 118 doors in the temple. All these doors are being made in Secunderabad, Telangana, by a private timber company. All the doors are made of teak wood brought from Maharashtra. This company had made the doors of Yadadri temple. More than a hundred artisans from Tamil Nadu are engaged in making the doors of the temple. All the doors are being made using old technology, no nuts and bolts are being used in them, so that they remain strong for more than a thousand years. 118 doors are made in four different designs. There are three entrance gates to the temple. Apart from this, there is a separate door to the sanctum sanctorum. The height of the door of the sanctum sanctorum is 8 feet and the width is 12 feet. This huge door will be five inches thick. The door of the sanctum sanctorum will also be plated with gold. There have been 16 different styles of temple construction in India, of which three major ones are Nagara, Dravida and Pagoda. Ram’s temple is being built in Nagar style but features of South Indian and Besar style have also been included in it.
A wall has also been built in the temple, whereas generally the temples of North India do not have walls. Six temples are also being built in the wall that will surround the temple. These temples will be of Lord Sun, Lord Shankar, Mata Bhagwati, Vinayak, Hanuman ji and Mata Annapurna. All these temples will be built in the park itself, which will be a part of the Panchayat tradition of temple construction in India. Trust General Secretary Champat Rai said that seven more temples will be built outside the walls of the temple. The idol of Jatayu has also been installed in the temple courtyard. Carvings are being done on every pillar and every wall of the temple. Since there are now 25 days left for Pran Pratistha, the work has been expedited. At present four thousand laborers are working 24 hours a day in three shifts. Nripendra Mishra told that the work of building the temple was not easy. When the government formed the trust and the first meeting was held for the construction of the temple, it was found that the land at the place where the temple was to be built was not hard. Where the temple is being built today, earlier the Saryu river used to flow there. In such a situation the foundation of the temple is not strong. When this temple of Ramlala is completely ready, it will be the most beautiful, grand and divine temple in the world. It will be the center of faith of Ram devotees all over the world, a symbol of devotion and power, and a carrier of eternal and indelible traditions. People from all countries are sending gifts according to their devotion. Gifts are being sent for Ramlala from Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Suriname, Nepal and Bhutan.
The people of Janakpur in Nepal consider themselves to be the family of Mother Sita. Water from thirty holy rivers, clothes, jewelery and dry fruits have been sent as gifts from Janakpur to bathe the idol of Ramlala. Deepotsav will be celebrated in Janakpur on the day of Ramlala’s life consecration. Desi ghee has been sent from Jodhpur for the Pran Pratistha Yagya, turmeric has come from Cambodia. The women of Pune are sending clothes embroidered with gold threads to make Ram Lalla wear them. I remember when Kar Seva was started in 1992, Ram Shilas were sent to Ayodhya from every house across the country. The same cooperation is now visible again. But there is a difference between the environment of that time and the environment of today. At that time, it was the beginning of the movement, there was uncertainty, there was heat in the atmosphere, there was a feeling of hatred, there was anger along with devotion among the people, but today is the time of culmination of the movement, the time of a new beginning. There is no uncertainty now, no rancor. Now there is only devotion, peace, harmony, this is a big difference. Even at that time people were immersed in devotion. Even today he is filled with devotion. Even at that time, Ramshilas were coming from every village and every house. Even today, there is a feeling of cooperation and dedication for the Ram temple from every house, gifts are coming. The doors of Ram temple are being built in the south, there are craftsmen from Gujarat, there are sculptors and laborers from north to south, from east to west. It is a donation from people across the country. Muslim brothers have also donated generously for the temple. This is proof of the universality of Lord Ram. The Ram temple being built in Ayodhya is a symbol of the unity of the country. Therefore, this ceremony of Pran Pratistha should be taken in the same spirit. But it is sad that some leaders and some parties are doing politics on this occasion also. Congress leaders are not liking people immersed in devotion to Ram.
Congress leader Sam Pitroda said that Ram Temple will not benefit the country, modern India will not get anything from it, inflation, unemployment or pollution will not end with the construction of the temple. After playing such a role, Sam’s real pain came to the fore. He said that why the Prime Minister keeps roaming from temple to temple, the Prime Minister leaves all his work and remains engaged in religious work, this is not right. Sam Pitroda told the people of the country that now the time has come to decide whether they want Ram temple or employment. Sam Pitroda was once very close to Rajiv Gandhi. Nowadays, he is close to Rahul Gandhi, his advisor, and the President of the Indian Overseas Congress. Sam organizes all Rahul’s foreign tours. Actually Sam’s problem is not with Ram temple. Their problem is that Narendra Modi is getting the credit for the construction of Ram temple. Sam Pitroda forgot that when Rajiv Gandhi got the lock of Ram temple opened, he also got the credit for it. Now, due to Modi’s efforts, a grand temple of Lord Ram is being built in Ayodhya, then Modi will definitely benefit in the elections. But someone should ask Sam Pitroda that if going to temple stops progress, if it is a crime for leaders to go to temple, then why does Rahul Gandhi go to temple wearing sacred thread before the elections? Actually, Sam Pitroda has not created trouble for Congress for the first time. This is the same Sam Pitroda who, when asked about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, had said, “What happened is what happened”, after which Congress got into trouble. Sam had to apologize. Then there was attack in Pulwama, India carried out air strike on Balakot, then Sam said that such action is not right, it is not right to hold Pakistan responsible for Pulwama terrorist attack. Sam Pitroda had also given clean chit to Pakistan in 26/11 Mumbai attacks. And now Sam is raising questions on Ram temple, calling devotion to Ram a crime. I think this is Sam Pitroda’s foolishness and naivety. Neither do they know this country, nor do they know the temperament of this country, nor do they recognize the power of devotion to this country. That is why he said such things about Lord Ram, about Ram temple. The silence of Congress on Sam’s statement is also surprising and this silence may prove costly for Congress. (Rajat Sharma)
Watch: ‘Aaj Ki Baat, Rajat Sharma Sath’ full episode of December 27, 2023
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