LK Advani likely to go with PM Modi to Ayodhya; Ram Mandir foundation stone a silver brick

PM Narendra Modi is set to visit Ayodhya on August 5 for the "bhoomi pujan" ceremony to begin the construction of a grand Ram Temple, and the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra has begun preparations for it, its members said on Sunday. Top BJP sources told Republic TV that senior party leader Lal Krishna Advani is likely to accompany the Prime Minister for the ceremony. 

In the late 1980s, the BJP veteran leader became the political face of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, giving it heft and wide publicity. The party included the Ram temple issue in its manifesto in 1989 under the presidentship of Advani.

'PM's visit tentatively scheduled for August 5'

According to Trust president Nritya Gopal Das, the "bhoomi pujan" will be performed with the placing of a 40-kg silver brick at the sanctum Santorum. Three-day-long Vedic rituals, beginning August 3, will precede the main ceremony.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aadityanath will also join the "bhoomi pujan" ceremony. "I cannot tell the exact date but we have got information that the PM's visit has been tentatively scheduled for August 5," said Triloki Nath Pandey, the decree-holder of the Ram Janmabhoomi mandated by the Supreme Court.

Before the "bhoomi pujan" ceremony, Vedic rituals will be performed by sages from Varanasi as was done during the shifting of the idol of Ram Lalla from the sanctum sanctorum to a temporary structure, said Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, the spokesperson of Trust president Nritya Gopal Das.

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Priests in Ayodhya have prepared an elaborate plan for the three-day event. Mahant Kamal Nayan Das said on Saturday, before August 5 being finalised, "We have suggested two auspicious dates -- August 3 and 5 -- for the Prime Minister's visit based on calculations of movements of stars and planets." 

READ | PM Modi finalises August 5 date for Ram Mandir's foundation stone-laying in Ayodhya

The Ayodhya verdict 

The Constitution Bench of the SC in its verdict on November 9, 2019, awarded the entire disputed area in Ayodhya to the Hindu parties, after a 40-day marathon hearing. It directed the Centre to formulate a scheme within three months which will be responsible for building a temple. On the other hand, the SC ordered that an alternative land of 5 acres in Ayodhya would be given to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque.

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Ram Mandir Trust formation & meetings

Prime Minister Modi had announced the formation of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in the Lok Sabha on February 5, with his own former Principal Secretary Nripendra Misra heading the construction committee. The committee has met several times and has invited the PM to lay the foundation stone when the construction begins. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on March 25 performed special puja and shifted Ram Lalla from the makeshift temple in Ayodhya to another a pre-fabricated temple in the same premises.

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(With PTI inputs)