Ram Mandir To Get Stone From ‘Sita Eliya’ In Sri Lanka
A stone from Sita Eliya, the place in Sri Lanka where Goddess Sita is believed to have been held as a captive, will be used in constructing the Ram Mandir
Shri Champat Rai, Chairman of Ramjanambhoomi Teerth kshetra Trust Earlier this month, announced a 3-year deadline for the construction of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. He stated that the 45-day fund drive had been completed on February 27. Estimating that around Rs 2500 crores had been received as donations till March 4, Rai said that 10 crore households in 4 lakh villages had been approached by 9 lakh volunteers.
As the construction of the Ram Temple is in progress in Ayodhya, a stone from Sita Eliya, the place in Sri Lanka where Goddess Sita was held as a captive, will be used in the construction of the Ram temple. The stone is expected to be brought to India by Sri Lankan High Commissioner-designate to India Milinda Moragoda.
Sita Eliya has a Goddess Sita temple and is said to mark the place where she was held captive by the demon king Ravana and where she regularly prayed to Lord Rama for her rescue.
In August, last year, fulfilling the three-decade-long Ram Janmabhoomi movement, PM Narendra Modi performed the Bhumi Pujan ceremony at the Lord Ram’s birthplace in Ayodhya, placing a metallic plaque at the base of the temple site. The ceremony was done in the presence of 135 saints, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, UP Governor Anandiben Patel, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, and other eminent dignitaries. The PM visited Hanumangarhi prior to the ceremony, planted a ‘Parijat sapling’, and then addressed the venue before leaving for Delhi.
The temple which will be constructed will consist of two floors comprising Sompura Marbles – spanning 161ft in length, 140ft in width, and 128 ft in height, having 5 domes. The trust has estimated that construction of the temple will be completed in 3-3.5 years i.e by 2023. PM Modi had said, “In the way, there was a struggle for Independence, the struggle for Ram Mandir was fought for many centuries with many generations’ efforts pooled together dedicatedly. Today this is the symbol of that sacrifice made back then. Because of the efforts, I bow down to them on behalf of 130 crore Indians. All individuals attached to this movement are watching this program and are giving blessings to everyone. This Mandir is the gift of Truth, non-violence, and sacrifice.”
