The construction of Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya is in full swing. In this background, the two precious stones, which are being brought from Nepal’s Kali Gandaki river, will be used to carve out and install the idol of Bhagwan Shri Ram in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple being constructed in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. These two rocks will arrive in Ayodhya on February 2, 2023.
These two stones will be handed over to the Janaki temple in Janakpur by the Gandaki province government, Nepal. Chief Minister of Gandaki province, Khagraj Adhikari, will hand over these two stones to Bindhyabasini Temple of Pokhara. Two trucks are transporting these 60 million-year-old Shaligram stones from Nepal to Ayodhya.
The two rocks weigh 14 and 23 tons, respectively. Nepal’s government is looking after the arrangement of sending these stones to Ayodhya. According to the experts, this will also boost religious tourism in the Kali Gandaki region and strengthen the relationship between both countries.
It is important to mention that Nepal Cabinet decided to take these rocks to India on December 15, 2022. Jitendra Kumar Singh, General Secretary, Nepal, said, “it will take about nine months to carve out the idol of Bhagwan Shri Ram
According to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be opened for devotees by the end of 2023. The entire construction of the temple will be completed by 2025. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of the temple on August 5, 2020. Here it is worth mentioning that the temple will be 235 feet wide, 360 feet long and 161 feet high.
The plinth area is approximately 3500 sqm which will act like a solid rock. According to a statement by the Shri Ram Temple trust in September 2022, the superstructure is being constructed on the 6.5 m (21 ft) high plinth. Approximately 17,000 granite stone blocks of size 5 ft x 2.5 ft x 3 ft were used in the construction of the plinth.
The weight of each granite stone block is approximately 3 tons. Also, pink sandstones from the hills of the Bansi-Paharpur area in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan are being used in the construction of the temple, and About 4.70 lakh cubic feet of carved stones would be used.
