Huge stones reach Ayodhya for Ram Mandir: Karsewaks blame Akhilesh, Atal for delay

Last Monday two trucks carrying huge stones reached Ayodhya for use in the proposed Ram temple. Surprisingly Karsewaks blame two figures for delaying the construction of the temple – former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

The karsewaks promise that the work will now be carried out in full steam.

“One of the trucks had one stone and the other two. They are huge blocks which could be used for pillar or beam. They will be cut as per requirement,” said Sharad Sharma, Vishwa Hindu Parishad spokesman from Ayodhya. The red stones were mined in Bharatpur, Rajasthan.

These stones were earlier sent in 2015 but the trucks carrying them were forced to return after Akhilesh Yadav government denied them entry.

According to Sharma there are 110,000 cubic feet of stones cut and carved for use in the proposed temple. Work at the “karyashala” (workshop) in Ayodhya has continued uninterrupted over the years, Sharma said.

Although the present quantity “is sufficient to build the ground floor”, Sharma said that another 70,000 cubic feet was required for the construction of the first floor.

Triloki Nath Pande, who calls himself as the best friend of the make-shift temple’s presiding deity Ram Lalla, was of the opinion that there were sufficient stones for beams and pillars more were needed for the ceiling.

“Stones have been coming since 1991 and it was only during Akhilesh Yadav’s rule that the flow was stopped. The supply, along with donations from the devout, has now resumed, Triloki Nath, who belongs to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, said. Transporting one big piece of stone from the mine costs about Rs 2.5 lakh.

About the possible date for the temple construction to begin Sharad Sharma said he was not in a position to make a guess. When told that Acharya Ram Bhadracharya and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy have said that the temple would be constructed in 2018, Sharma said they were the right persons to talk to about it.

“Or else, let the Central government move a legislation allowing the construction of the temple,” Sharma said.

Last month, Swamy said in Agra that Ram temple “would be constructed in Ayodhya in 2018”.

Seer Ram Bhadracharya also claimed that the temple would be ready by December 6, 2018.

Pande blamed former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the delay in temple construction. “Because of him we (VHP) lost our credibility among the people who thought we took them for a ride in the name Ram,” he said.

On the possibility of temple coming up, or its construction starting in 2018, Pande said so far the Supreme Court Bench has not even had a sitting. “Let the Supreme Court hear the matter first,” he said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who paid obeisance at the make-shift temple in May, wants the temple to be built through consensus.

Whether the temple construction would begin on December 6, 2018 or it would be ready by then was unclear.

Asked how many months it would take to complete the temple, Pande refused to hazard a guess but said, “at least not in three-four months”.

What Sharma and Nath concurred on was that once the go ahead was received the supply of stones would pick up speed.

Lately, there is frenzied activity around Ayodhya. To begin with, the Union government allocated Rs 154 crore for the construction of a Ramayana museum. On its part the state government cleared 20 acres of land for the museum. The state government also upgraded the Ayodhya civic body to the level of a municipal corporation. Orders have also been issued for the revival of Ramleela in Ayodhya.

During his visit the UP CM announced Rs 350 crore for sprucing up the pilgrim city while assuring its residents of “uninterrupted Ramleela”.