Ram temple construction: Two rare 60 million-year-old Shaligram rocks from Nepal reach Ayodhya
Mangalore Today News Network
New Delhi, Feb 02, 2023: Two rare rocks, from which the idol of Lord Ram and Goddess Janaki will be carved out and placed in the sanctum sanctorum of Ram Temple, reached Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya from Nepal on Thursday (February 2, 2023). Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s national secretary Rajendra Singh Pankaj brought the consignment of two sacred rocks from the Mustang district of Nepal.
These Shaligram rocks -- which are said to be 60 million-year-old -- reached Ayodhya from Nepal on two different trucks. While one rock reportedly weighs 26 tonnes, the other weighs 14 tonnes.
The holy stones were welcomed at the Hindu god Lord Ram’s birthplace by priests and locals who decorated the boulders with garlands and offered rituals before handing over them to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
Uttar Pradesh | Shaligram stones brought from Nepal reached Ayodhya.
— ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2023
They are expected to be used for the construction of idols of Ram and Janaki. pic.twitter.com/76L3IzNdAF
The idol of Lord Rama in his child form carved from this stone will be placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple, which is expected to be ready by the Makar Sankranti festival in January next year, officials said.
The two rocks were found in the Gandaki river at a place close to Saligrama or Muktinath (place of salvation) in Nepal’s Mustang district, they said.
"There is a waterfall named Kali Gandaki in Nepal. It originates from Damodar Kund and is around 85 km north of Ganeshwar Dham Gandki. Both these boulders have been brought from there. The place is situated at a height of 6,000 feet above sea level," Champat Rai, the General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, told news agency ANI.
Courtesy: Zee News