Silver brick, special soil, VIP guests for Ram Temple foundation laying ceremony in Ayodhya

Massive preparations are underway for the foundation-laying ceremony or the bhoomi pujan for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya,
which is set to take place on Wednesday. As per reports, the ceremony, which
will be held around 12:15pm, will be performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
in his first ever visit to the site.

Priests in Ayodhya have prepared an elaborate plan for the
ceremony with three-day Vedic rituals at the Ram Janmabhoomi site. As per
reports, five silver bricks- believed to symbolise the five planets as per the
Hindu mythology, will also be set inside the sanctum sanctorum during the
‘bhoomi pujan’ ceremony. The first brick weighing 40kgs, will be laid by PM Modi. 

The design and the architecture of the temple is the same as the
one proposed by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) — the design will follow Vishnu
temple’s Nagara style while the ‘garbha griha’ will be octagonal. If everything goes as planned, Ayodhya may have a grand Ram temple by 2024.

The total area of the temple will be between
76,000 to 84,000 square ft. Earlier, it was estimated to be around 38,000
square ft. As per reports, around 250 workers would be employed for construction, and labour would be contracted from Rajasthan.

Meanwhile, the National Highway Authority of India
(NHAI) has sanctioned a
project worth Rs 55 crore for the construction and beutification work in
progress for
the Ayodhya bypass, to showcase the historic city.

Also, the ceremony will be performed using
special soil, which was collected from the holy “Agni Theertham” sea in
Rameswaram, by a pro-Hindu outfit and sent to Ayodhya.

Uttar Pradesh police and Sashastra Seema Bal have
been put on high alert in the districts bordering Nepal ahead of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s visit to Ayodhya. The forces have stepped up vigil; cameras have been put on SSB
posts besides the main roads. The dog squad and one platoon of women wing have
also been deployed. Metal detectors have been installed at Sonauli and Tutibari
outposts on Indo-Nepal border (in Maharajganj).

To celebrate the occasion, Images of Lord Ram and 3D portraits
of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya will be beamed across the giant billboards
in the iconic Times Square in New York, United States on August 5.

Besides, PM Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath are some of the confirmed attendees. Home Minister Amit Shah, who tested positive for COVID-19 on August 2, was also expected to attend but is unlikely to do so now.  As per reports, a gathering of  200 people is expected.