Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday morning participated in a ceremony to move the idol of Lord Ram to a new structure in Ayodhya. The new structure, in the form of a temple made from fibre, will be the home of the Ram idol till the construction of the grand temple is completed. The movement of the idol has been construed as the first phase of the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The ceremony to consecrate the new structure to house the idol began on Monday. According to media reports, around 20 people were present at the ceremony in Ayodhya on Wednesday, seemingly ignoring the nationwide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The district collector and police officials were reportedly present at the ceremony on Wednesday.
Yogi Adityanath tweeted early on Wednesday "The first phase of construction of the grand Ram temple was completed today... Moved the idol of 'Ramalala' in a temporary structure near Manas Bhawan." Yogi Adityanath also informed he had presented a cheque of Rs 11 lakh for construction of the Ram temple. An image of a State Bank of India cheque for Rs 11 lakh for the Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has appeared on social media.
Last week, the Yogi Adityanath government had cancelled the Ram Mahotsav celebrations in Ayodhya on account of the COVID-19 outbreak. The Mahotsav was to begin on Wednesday and last nine days. The celebrations this year had attracted much media attention as they were the first after the Supreme Court in November last year allocated the disputed site at Ayodhya to Hindu groups for construction of a Ram temple.