The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will be India's national temple, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stated on Wednesday as he laid the foundation stone of the garba griha (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple with a traditional Hindu ' shila pujan'.
Apart from honouring India's faith, the temple would also be a symbol of India's unity, the CM said.
"The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya will be Bharat's rashtra mandir (India's national temple)," Mr. Adityanath said after he performed the shila pujan at the site of the garba griha of the temple in the presence of members of the trust responsible for managing its construction.
Mr. Adityanath also said that the 500-year-long " tadpan" (yearning) of the Hindu masses would soon end with the Ram Mandir taking shape. The temple would become a symbol of faith for followers of Sanatan dharma in the country as well as across the globe, he said.
Mr. Adityanath referred to the long-drawn movement for the Ram Mandir led by the Hindu right, which had claimed that a temple existed at the site of the Babri Masjid, and said that “invaders” had attacked “our astha” with the aim of crushing “Bharat’s dreams” but eventually “Bharat won”.
The temple construction will pace up after the foundation laying ceremony of the garba griha, he said.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, the trust managing the construction of the temple, had in the last week of May said that the installation of carved sandstones at and around the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Mandir would commence soon.
The installation of the carved stones and the work on the plinth of the temple would go on simultaneously, the trust said.
