New Delhi: In the over 11 months since it was set up to construct the Ram temple at Ayodhya, the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra has managed to collect a little over Rs 100 crore, with the Gujarat-based spiritual leader Morari Bapu contributing the highest donation of Rs 11.3 crore, Swami Govinddev Giri, treasurer of the trust, told ThePrint Tuesday.
Giri added that the followers of Morari Bapu in the US, Canada and the UK have collected another Rs 8 crore. “But we are unable to get the donation as the trust has not got FCRA clearance until now,” he said.
The treasurer of the trust said that though the cost of the temple has not been finalised as of yet, it may hover around Rs 1,500-crore mark.
“According to rough estimates, the main temple may cost between Rs 300 crore to Rs 400 crore while the outer development of the temple premises may cost around Rs 1,100 crore,” said Giri, who is in Delhi to attend meetings of the temple construction committee. He added that the trust will finalise the construction cost next month.
The trust will also launch a massive donation drive from 15 January to collect funds for building the temple, Giri said.
The trust had earlier said that voluntary donations from Ram bhakts will be accepted for which coupons of Rs 10, Rs 100 and Rs 1,000 will be issued.
Experts from IIT designing new temple foundation pillars
Following a meeting of the temple construction committee Tuesday, the trust has decided on a new alternative method to design the foundation pillars for the temple.
The committee comprises representatives from Larsen and Toubro, which is constructing the temple, and experts from IIT Delhi, IIT Mumbai and IIT Hyderabad.
Earlier this month, the expert committee had conducted a test that showed that the pillars to be used in the foundation were not of the desired quality. “Experts have now decided on an alternative opinion of using stones,” Giri said.
The height of the Ram temple, which will be one of the largest in India, will be 161 feet while its carpet area has been increased from over 16,000 square feet to 28,000 square feet.
The temple, which will be constructed with pink sandstone, called ‘Bansi Paharpur’, will have a ground plus two floors. In the original plan, the temple was designed until the first floor.
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