Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will be national temple of India: Yogi Adityanath

He laid the foundation stone for the construction of Ram Temple's 'Garbha Griha' or the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, and placed the first carved stone.

"Ram Mandir will be the national temple of India. People have been waiting for this day for a long time. Ram Mandir will be a symbol of India's unity," he told ANI.

"The construction work of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi almost two years ago. The work is successfully proceeding and we are fortunate that the ritual of keeping the stones in the Garbhagriha has been initiated today," added Adityanath.

The Chief Minister arrived in the town early this morning to participate in the ceremony. Seers and saints from across the country were invited for the occasion. Later today, CM Yogi also inaugurated Shri Ramlala Sadan, a Dravidian-style temple, at the site.

Earlier, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offered prayers at Hanuman Garhi temple in Ayodhya.

According to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which is in charge of the construction of the temple, the sanctum sanctorum is expected to be completed by December 2023.

The construction of the temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya is going on at a fast pace. On August 5, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Ram temple and since then the construction work of the temple is going on.

The five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi (now retired) had on November 9, 2019, unanimously delivered its verdict that the land in Ayodhya where Babri Masjid once stood, belongs to Ram Lalla. (ANI)