Culture
From Maharashtra To Ayodhya: Grand Event To Celebrate First Shipment Of Teakwood For Ram Temple Today
Shri Ram Mandir 3D Model (Pic via Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Temple Trust)
Teakwood from Maharashtra's Chandrapur and Gadchiroli forests will be sent to Ayodhya for the construction of the Ram temple.
The temple requires 1800 cubic meters of wood to construct the temple's main and interior doors, as well as the entryway to the sanctum sanctorum. The first consignment of teakwood would be flagged off amidst a grand celebration on 29 March.
According to the report, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Maharashtra's Forest and Environment Minister, said that, today, in the evening a grand event will take place in celebration of the dispatch of a consignment from the Ballarpur depot to Ayodhya.
The Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, along with several Ministers from Uttar Pradesh, MPs, MLAs, and MLCs from Chandrapur and neighbouring districts were expected to participate in the event.
Furthermore, the stars of the iconic television show 'Ramayana' (1987) - Arun Govil (Lord Rama), Dipika Chikhlia Topiwala (Sita), and Sunil Lahiri (Lakshmana) - along with other celebrities, were to take part as well. The event will feature performance of devotional songs (bhajans) dedicated to Lord Rama, which will be sung by the Bollywood singer Kailash Kher.
The Minister revealed that upon learning of the temple construction committee's need for teakwood for doors and other structures, they submitted a proposal. The proposal was forwarded to the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun for review, which conducted several tests.
They concluded that Chandrapur's teakwood is the most durable and appropriate for building the mega-temple. Additionally, it is termite-resistant and can last for over a thousand years.
For the temple's construction, sandstone for the walls were brought from Rajasthan, while shaligram stones from Galeshwar Dham were brought to carve the idols of Lord Ram and Goddess Janaki. 'The wood will be from the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj', said Mungantiwar.
He said it's a matter of pride for Maharashtra, particularly Vidarbha as Lord Rama's grandmother, Indumati, hailed from there.
Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (FDCM) will deliver top-notch wood in multiple shipments between March and May.
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