Govt exploring options within Constitution for Ram temple in Ayodhya: UP CM

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the union government was working on "various options within the ambit of the Constitution to build a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya".

On the second day of his visit to the temple town of Ayodhya, the monk-politician prayed at the Hanumangarhi temple and declared that Ayodhya was the abode of "Ram Lalla' and that there "was a temple (at Ayodhya) and will always be there".

He also visited the makeshift Ram Lalla temple at the disputed site where once stood the Babri mosque which was razed in 1992.

Adityanath also met seers at the Digambar Akhara, visited the Saryu ghat, Sugreev Fort and also met Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.

The Chief Minister also inspected the site where a 150 metre tall statue of Lord Ram would be installed on a 50 feet pedestal.

"We have grand plans for Ayodhya and we are working in that direction" he later told reporters. He also announced that a shelter home for widows and orphaned children would be set up in Ayodhya.

On Tuesday, the state government had rolled out a never-seen-before spectacle of lights on the ghats of the holy river Saryu where more than 3 lakh earthern lamps were lit up.

The First Lady of South Korea was present at the event.