Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan: PM Modi, CM Yogi & only 3 others to be on stage; read all details

As Ayodhya gears up for Ram Mandir's  Bhoomi Pujan, the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Monday, laid out the itinerary for the event. Addressing reporters in Ayodhya, the trust's secretary said that 175 eminent guests will attend the event including UP CM Yogi Adityanath, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and 135 saints. While PM Modi will lay the foundation stone at the Ram Janmabhoomi, several BJP veterans like L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi will attend via video-conference amid Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

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Here are the salient features of the event:

• Entry to the site will be allowed till 10:30 AM - two hours prior to the event.  All invitation cards will have security codes which would work only once, to enter into the premises of the function.
• No electronics or camera will be allowed
• Only 5 dignitaries will be present on stage - PM Narendra Modi, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Mandir Trust chairman Nritya Gopaldas Maharaj, Governor Anandiben Patel and CM Yogi Adityanath.
• Arrival of people who are aged above 90 years is not appropriate under present circumstances
• PM Modi will first do Darshan-Pujan at Shri Hanumangarhi Mandir, after which he will do puja of Ramlalla at Ram Janmabhoomi. It will be then followed by the Bhumi Pujan and the stage event
• Sacred soil from more than 2000 holy places and water from more than 100 rivers has been brought to Ayodhya for Bhumi Pujan. 
• Ram devotees have been called to organise Bhajan, Kirtan and Prasad distribution in all villages and cities while taking all necessary precautions to prevent spread of Corona 

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Attendees at the event

While PM Modi's presence has been confirmed, Union Minister Amit Shah is currently hospitalised as he has been tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, BJP veterans Uma Bharti,  Kalyan Singh, L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi have stated that they will not be attending the event due to COVID. Several other senior saints too will be attending via video conference. Shiv Sena too has hinted that Uddhav Thackeray will not be attending the event, insisting they don't need an invitation. 

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Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan

The foundation stone of the Ram Temple slated to be built in Ayodhya will be laid on August 5. The trust has estimated that construction of the temple will be completed in 3-3.5 years i.e by 2023- the year of the Uttar Pradesh State polls. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) which will construct the two-floor temple using Sompura Marbles - spanning  161ft in length, 140ft in width, and 128 ft in height, comprising of 5 domes. The trust is planning to contact 10 Crore families across 4 Lakh localities of the country for fund collection. In November 2019, the Supreme Court had ended the seven-decade long land dispute, awarding the Ram Janmabhoomi land to the Hindu parties and offering an alternated land to the Muslim parties.

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