Ram idol moved to temporary structure ahead of temple construction

Paving the way for the construction of the temple in Ayodhya, idol of Ram Lalla and others were shifted to a makeshift temple at Manas Bhawan at wee hours on Wednesday, onset of the auspicious Chaitra Navratra.

After 27 years, Ram Lalla was shifted from the ‘garbh grah(sanctum sanctorum) of the makeshift temple to the fibre made temple at the Manas Bhawan, where he was seated on a silver throne, gifted by Vimlendra Mohan Mishra, one of the members of the Supreme Court mandated Ramjanambhoomi trust, who belongs to the erstwhile Ayodhya royal family.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath was also present on the occasion and participated in the rituals.

Yogi Adityanath also donated a check of Rs 11 lakh in his personal capacity to the trust for the construction of the temple, though the trust is yet to announce a date for the beginning of the construction of the temple.   

The chief minister, who himself is the head priest of Gorakhnath Temple, carried the Ram lalla idol and placed it on the silver throne, amidst chanting of mantras by priests. The entire ceremony started at around 2 AM.

Head priest of Ram lalla temple, Acharya Satyendra Das and another trust member and VHP member Champat Rai were also present on the occasion. The rituals for shifting the idols had begun on Monday amid tight security and only a couple of priests and and trust members were allowed.

Uttar Pradesh had already imposed lockdown in many districts and had sent out messages to people not to congregate for the occasion but pray at their homes. The VHP had also urged people not to visit Ayodhaya but pray at homes. Many prominent temples have been shut down in Ayodhya ecause of the coronavirus, through priests will continue praying during the Navratri period.