Ram Mandir construction starts, no iron will be used: Janmabhoomi Trust

By News Next Live Last updated Aug 20, 2020 - 8: 53 am

High Court against 'Bhoomi Pujan' for Ram temple at Ayodhya

Ayodhya: In a move reminiscent of the shiladaan in the 1990s, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust has now requested all Hindus across India to donate copper wires and copper rods for the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Champat Rai, general secretary of the trust, said the temple would be constructed in such a way that it would stand for at least 1,000 years. “The stone that will be used in the construction will be such that air, sun and water decay will not happen for at least 1,000 years. The construction company L&T has got the best people; IIT Chennai has been consulted for testing the strength of the soil; and the Central Building Research Institute will make sure the building is earthquake-resistant,” Rai told reporters in New Delhi Wednesday.

Rai said the donated copper is expected to give the temple more durability. “We will need copper strips and rods for the construction. To begin with, we will need 10,000 strips and rods. The strip should be 18 inches long, 3 mm thick and 30 mm wide. This would be a clear proof of India’s contribution to the temple construction,” he said.

He added that the Ram Mandir will be constructed using only stone, and no iron at all. Construction will take at least 36-40 months. “Mandir will be made of stone and plain concreting will be done. Drawings are still being finalised and so are the carvings.”

Muslim contributions welcome

Asked whether the trust will accept donations from people of all religions, Rai said: “Hindu, Musalmaan, koi bhi kar sakta hai. It is online, so how can we tell who is donating? Everyone can donate.”

The trust has also not applied for FCRA approval yet, and so it can’t accept donations from abroad. He also said the trust was criticised for inviting Muslim individuals to the bhoomi pujan ceremony. “Some people were also disinclined towards calling Muslims.

We do not care about this. We called three Muslims. Mohammad Sharif is a person who cremates people for free and has cremated about 10,000 people, so we invited him,” he explained.