Black stones known as “shaligram shila” from the Kali Gandaki river in Nepal will reach Ayodhya next month for the carving of Lord Ram’s idol in the inner sanctum of the Ram Mandir being built in the city that Hindus believe is the birthplace of the hero of Ramayana, people aware of the matter said.
The shaligram stones found in the Kali Gandaki river basin in the Muktinath area of Nepal are considered to represent Vishnu. Ram is believed to be an incarnation of Vishnu.
A delegation of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has reached Nepal to bring the sacred stones. Former deputy Prime Minister of Nepal Bilmalendra Nidhi will accompany the VHP delegation back to India along with the shaligram shila, according to the temple trust. The meeting will continue on Sunday.
The delegation is expected to reach Gorakhpur on February 1, where it will stay at Gorakhnath temple, whose chief priest is Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath. It is expected to reach Ayodhya on February 2.“Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s national secretary Rajendra Singh Pankaj started from Mustang district of Nepal on Wednesday with the consignment of two sacred rocks and is expected to arrive in Ayodhya on Thursday,” Prakash Gupta, office in-charge of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was reported.
“These Shaligram rocks, that are 60 million-years-old, will reach Ayodhya from Nepal on two different trucks. One rock weighs 26 tonnes and the other weighs 14 tonnes,” he said.
The Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust has roped in renowned sculptors to build the idol of Lord Ram as a child, also known as Ram lala, for the temple. The height of idol will be around 8.5 feet so that sunrays could fall on the deity, according to Champat Rai, general secretary of the trust.
Celebrations in Ayodhya for the opening of the Ram temple will begin in December and end with the installation of the idol at the inner sanctum on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti on January 14 or 15, 2024.
