Time capsule to be kept 2,000 feet under Ram Temple
Taking into account the protracted legal battle that the disputed site in Ayodhya stirred, the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, tasked with building a Ram Temple, has decided to place a time capsule about 2,000 feet below the structure. The time capsule will be replete with facts about Ram Janmbhoomi and deity Lord Rama, to avoid any future conflicts. Here are more details.
Kameshwar Chaupal, the only Dalit member of the trust, explained the rationale behind keeping a time capsule. "The struggle for Ram Janmabhoomi, including the long-drawn case in the Supreme Court, has given a lesson for the current and upcoming generations," he told ANI. To recall, the decades-old legal battle reached its climax last year, when SC ordered the temple's construction at the site.
Ending the long legal battle, pertaining to 2.77 acres of land in the temple town of Uttar Pradesh, a five-judge constitution bench of SC ordered that a trust must be set up for the temple's construction. The bench, led by former Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi, also announced that 5 acres of land must be given to Sunni Waqf Board for a mosque.
Obviously, the trust doesn't want a repeat of the legal battle, hence, thought of the time capsule. "A time capsule will be placed about 2,000 feet down in ground at Ram Temple construction site," Chaupal said. He revealed that the time capsule will be put inside Tamra Patra (copper plate), before it is kept underground.
Meanwhile, the trust has also made elaborate plans for the bhoomi pujan ceremony. Considering coronavirus-induced restrictions, the guest list was cut short, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to the main event on August 5. Invitations have also been extended to BJP veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, who played an important role in the Ram Janmbhoomi movement.
About the ceremony, Chaupal revealed, "Water from sacred rivers and soil from teerths, where Lord Ram visited, will be used during the abhisheka in bhoomi pujan. Our volunteers have been sending them from across the country to Ayodhya."
As per the new design of the temple, there will be five domes. The number of columns was increased from 160 to 366; and the stairway's width has also been expanded to 16 feet. Further, the temple's height was also increased from 141 to 161 feet. The complex will also have shrines for Goddess Sita, Rama's younger brother Lakshman, Lord Ganesh, and Lord Hanuman.
Earlier this month, the trust met to discuss the fine print. The meeting was also attended by Ashish Sompura, son of Chandrakant Sompura, who is the main architect of Ram Temple. Sompura Jr. said the original design would have used up to 3 lakh cubic feet of sandstone. The new design will use double of it. The construction could be completed in 3-3.5 years.
