We will make Ayodhya the pride of India: Yogi Adityanath ahead of mega Ram Temple ceremony

Lucknow, July 25: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday visited Ayodhya to review the preparations for the foundation stone laying ceremony for the construction of the Ram Temple.

The visit comes ahead of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expected visit to lay the foundation stone of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on August 5 .

The construction of the temple will start with the ceremony to lay the foundation stone. In view of the coronavirus pandemic, only 200 people would attend the ceremony and all social distancing norms will be followed at the event.

During his visit to Ayodhya, Adityanath placed the idols of Laxman, Bharat and Shatrughan on the new 'asans' at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple site.

He also offered prayers at the Hanumangarhi Temple and inspected the stones carved for Ram Temple at Mandir Nirmaan Karyashala.

The chief minister also held a meeting with seers and members of the Ram Mandir Trust at the Vishwa Hindu Parishad headquarters at Karsewak Puram.

"Prime Minister will be visiting Ayodhya. We'll make Ayodhya the pride of India and the world. Cleanliness should be the first condition. There is an opportunity for Ayodhya to prove through self-discipline its capability & be the way the world expects to see it," said Adityanath.

"We all will be coming together for an auspicious event. There will be 'deepotsava' in all houses and temples on the nights of 4th and 5th August. Deepawali is associated with Ayodhya and the festival cannot even be imagined without Ayodhya," he was quoted as saying by ANI.

At 12.30 pm on August 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of the grand Ram Temple at Ayodhya.

The Ram Temple in Ayodhya will be 161 feet tall. The original design prepared in 1988 mentioned the height as 141 feet.