Will make Ayodhya pride of the world

Ayodhya: Celebrations will light up every home and temple on the nights of August 4 and 5, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath promised on Saturday, as he visited Ayodhya, 10 days before the scheduled grand ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the Ram temple.

The Chief Minister began his Ayodhya tour with a trip to the Ram Janmabhoomi complex that will be the venue of the August 5 ceremony that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to attend. He was seen offering prayers to Lord Ram at the site.

"Prime Minister will be visiting Ayodhya. We'll make Ayodhya the pride of India and the world. There is an opportunity for Ayodhya to prove through self-discipline its capability and be the way the world expects to see it," the Chief Minister said.

Later, Yogi Adityanath met with officials and religious leaders over preparations for ceremony. "There will be 'deepotsava' in all houses and temples on the nights of 4th and 5th August," he said at the meeting attended by the Ayodhya MP, MLAs, members of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and local administration.

"Ram Chandra Paramhans's (the late head of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas) soul must feel content that his dreams are being fulfilled. This is a big landmark for all saints who have given their life for the temple," Adityanath said.

The firm in charge of the temple design has said the height of the temple is being increased by at least 20 feet - to make it 161-foot tall - as compared to the original design which was prepared in 1988 and mentioned its height as 141 feet. Two mandaps or pavilions have also been added to the design, the temple architect said.

The 'bhoomi poojan' will be held inside the Ram Janmabhoomi complex and a total of 150 to 200 people are likely to attend, with social distancing norms in the times of the coronavirus pandemic.