Ram temple in Ayodhya: Trust's meeting postponed due to Covid-19 lockdown

The meeting of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, scheduled to be held in Ayodhya on April 4, has been postponed in view of the Coronavirus scare and the lockdown.

It was said that the date for 'Bhoomi Pujan' of the proposed Ram temple would be announced after this meeting - the second since the formation of the trust. The first meeting was held on February 19 in Delhi where Mahant Nritya Gopal Das was named the head of the trust and VHP leader Champat Rai was named general secretary.

According to reports, the trust, in its second meeting, was to work out the modalities of the 'Bhoomi Pujan'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath were to be among the invitees.

Meanwhile, trust member Dr Anil Mishra said that any decision on the next date of the meeting would be taken after the 21-day lockdown is lifted.

VHP to gift Ram Lalla, temple model photos to Hindu families

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) will now gift photographs of Ram Lalla, the model of the proposed Ram temple and one of Maharishi Valmiki who wrote the Ramayana to all Hindu families across 285,000 villages in the country.

The families who will receive these gifts are those who have contributed Re 1.25 and a brick at the peak of the temple movement.

The photographs will be delivered at the doorstep of the families by VHP cadres.

VHP national spokesperson, Vinod Bansal said the idea is to reach out to people in 285,000 lakh villages across country to mark the shifting of Ram Lalla idol from the makeshift temple to a temporary structure by the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust which has been a subdued affair due would to Corona virus lockdown.

"It is a reciprocation of the people's contribution and support to the temple movement will be done during Navratri. There will be no celebrations or 'Shobha Yatras' and our cadres will maintain social distancing," he said.

The VHP has maintained a record of all families that contributed to the temple movement. The recipients will be asked to put up the photograph of Lord Ram on their front door.

It also wants to revive its programme for crowd funding for the construction of the Ram temple and does not want the government to give any funds for the same.