Ayodhya: The chief priest of Ayodhya Ram Mandir, Acharya Satyendra Das, has claimed that the roof of the temple has started ‘leaking’ after the first spell of rain at the onset of the monsoon.
Demanding action and investigation into the matter, the chief priest, raised questions over the construction of the Ram Mandir and said that the water began leaking after the first rain right where the Ram Lalla idol has been enshrined.
Das mentioned that the newly constructed Ram Temple lacks proper drainage, causing water to leak from above and accumulate near the idol. Expressing ‘surprise’ at the incident, Das said, “So many engineers are here, and the Pran Pratishtha was held on January 22, but water is leaking from the roof. Nobody would’ve thought this.”
The chief priest added that if the issue is not resolved soon it would become difficult to offer prayers once the rain intensifies.
Voicing scepticism over the July 2025 deadline for the temple construction, the chief priest said that it is 2024 now, and 2025 is just a year away, and thus, it is not very likely that the construction work will be completed within a year.
“If it is being claimed that the entire construction work will be completed by 2025, it is a good thing, but it is impossible as much work is still left to be done,” he said.
However, Das acknowledged any claims suggesting otherwise. He also said that while it is happy news that the temple might be ready completely by next year, it is also important that the concerned authorities look into the issues that have been coming up in the structure that is now open to the public.
He stressed again that the issue of leakage is a major one and should be resolved first.
Currently, construction work is underway to build designated places for idols of other gods as well.
The Pran Pratistha ceremony of Ram Lalla in the Ayodhya Ram Mandir was held on January 22 this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the ceremony, which was attended by senior BJP leaders like Amit Shah, Yogi Adityanath, and JP Nadda.
