Ayodhya Ram Temple Construction Speeds Up, Trust Increases Workers To Meet January 2024 Target

The work on the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has been progressing rapidly in recent weeks.

The management of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra (SRJTK), the trust set up by the government to oversee the construction and management of the Ram Mandir, has increased the number of workers from 550 to 1,600 to ensure that the shrine can be opened for devotees by January 2024.

Previously, work was being carried out in 18-hour shifts, but now it is being done round the clock.

The only remaining tasks on the ground floor of the complex, where the sanctum sanctorum (garbha griha) will be located, are the flooring and electrical works.

These will be completed in time for the grand function in January, which will mark the 'Pran Pratistha' of Lord Ram's murti in the temple.

According to Jagdish Aphale, the project manager of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra, both the ground and first floors of the temple will be finished by January.

“Right now, our priority is to complete the ground floor by December and make it ready for ‘pran pratistha’. The work on the first floor too started on July 1 and its key structures, including slabs and pillars, will be completed by January so that devotees can visit the shrine. But entry will not be allowed on the first floor till March 2024 as work will not be complete there by then," Aphale was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

According to Aphale, it will take approximately one-and-a-half years to finish the three-storey building and the outer wall of the complex, known as the 'parkota'.

Despite occasional disruptions caused by rain affecting the work on the 'parkota', indoor construction continues without fail. The pace of work has increased with round-the-clock efforts, involving around 1,200 workers including engineers, supervisors, and daily wagers from outside Ayodhya.

During a tour of the high-security temple complex, Radhe Joshi, a project official, explained that only carving-related work is halted after sunset, while other civil works continue uninterrupted.