PM Modi likely to visit Ayodhya on August 5 for Ram Temple 'bhoomi pujan'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely 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.

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 sanctorum.

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.

After a protracted legal tussle, the Supreme Court had on November 9 last year paved the way for the construction of a Ram Temple by a Trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot an alternative five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque at a "prominent" place in the holy town in Uttar Pradesh.

Talking to PTI, Trust member Anil Mishra said, "An invitation has been sent to PM Modi. However, we still have not received the exact date of PM's arrival."

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.

Mahant Kamal Nayan Das said on Saturday, "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."

The decision about the tentative date was taken at a meeting of the Trust members held in Ayodhya on Saturday.