Amid 'Pran Pratistha' Ceremony, Muslim Body Reveals Date For Ayodhya Mosque

The construction of a grand mosque in Ayodhya by the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation is set to commence from May this year, according to a senior official, reported Reuters.

It is expected to take three to four years to complete. This information surfaced on the day when the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple will be presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Ayodhya Mosque date revealed

The information was provided by Haji Arfat Shaikh, the head of the development committee of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) overseeing the mosque project. It was mentioned that a crowd-funding website is likely to be established to generate funds for the planned mosque.

The mosque, named "Masjid Muhammed bin Abdullah" after Prophet Muhammad, is part of efforts to end and convert enmity and hatred among people into love for each other, irrespective of whether or not the Supreme Court judgment is accepted, according to Shaikh. It was added by him that all the fighting will stop if good things are taught to children and people.

In 2019, the Supreme Court of India declared the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 as unlawful. However, it was ruled that beneath the Babri Mosque, there existed a non-Islamic structure. The court mandated the construction of a temple on the disputed land and allocated a parcel of land to the Muslim side for the mosque's construction.

Zufar Ahmad Faruqi, the president of the IICF, stated that no one had been approached by the body for funds. "We hadn't approached anyone ... there was no public movement for it (funds)," he mentioned. Athar Hussain, the secretary of the IICF, explained that the mosque's construction was delayed because they wanted to incorporate more traditional elements into the design, reported Reuters.

A 500-bed hospital will also be erected in the complex. In Ayodhya for the consecration ceremony, hundreds of celebrities, including actors and cricketers, are present. The temple is scheduled to be opened for the general public for darshan on Tuesday.