With the date of bhoomi pujan for construction of Ram temple now final, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust has started preparing the list of invitees who would attend the function on August 5.
One of the trustees, Dr Anil Mishra, said that the Trust wanted to organise the bhoomi pujan on a big scale but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were forced to curtail the list. “Still the list will have at least 200 names, including the people who had fought for Ram Mandir,” he told ‘The Pioneer’.
As per the Covid guidelines, religious functions are banned across India. Religious places have opened but only five people are allowed at a time.
“The guideline can be a big impediment,” Dr Mishra said but added that they could not ignore people who scripted the Ram temple struggle by their sweat and blood.
Besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will lay the foundation stone, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pramukh Mohan Bhagwat would surely get the invite.
Others like LK Advani, MM Joshi, Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharati and Vinay Katiyar may also get the invitation.
Besides the chief ministers of Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states, Uddhav Thackeray of Maharashtra and Nitish Kumar of Bihar may get the invite.
Meanwhile, the puja for the bhoomi pujan will start from August 3 and the main function will be held on August 5.
The Trust members said that the basic design and architecture was the same as adopted by Vishwa Hindu Parishad during the days of temple movement.
“The basic design of the main temple will be of Nagara style while the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) will be octagonal,” they said.
However, as compared to earlier model, length, breadth and height of the temple has been increased. The length now will be between 280 feet and 300 feet while earlier it was 268 feet and the breadth will be between 272 feet and 280 feet against the earlier 140 feet. The height of the temple has been increased to 161 feet. Earlier it was just 128 feet. The domes too have been increased from 3 to 5 .
Sources said the total area of the temple goes up to between 76,000 square feet to 84,000 square feet when earlier it was estimated to be around 38,000 square feet.