Ayodhya, August 20: The Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra on Thursday announced that the construction work for Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir has begun and is expected to finish in 36-40 months. The trust also clearly mentioned that no iron will be used to construct the Ram temple.

Informing about the development, the RJTK took to Twitter and wrote, "The construction of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir has begun. Engineers from CBRI Roorkee, IIT Madras along with L&T are now testing the soil at the mandir site. The construction work is expected to finish in 36-40 months." Ram Mandir Will Be Modern Symbol of Our Culture And Nationalist Feelings, Says PM Narendra Modi After Bhumi Pujan in Ayodhya.

Stating that no iron will be used to construct the Ram temple, RJTK said, "The Mandir will be built by adhering to India's ancient and traditional construction techniques. It will also be built to sustain earthquakes, storms and other natural calamities. Iron won't be used in the construction of the Mandir." Apart from this, the Trust requested Rambhakts to donate copper plates. They said, "For Mandir construction, copper plates will be used to fuse stone blocks with each other. The plates should be 18 inches long, 30 mm wide & 3 mm in depth.10,000 such plates may be required in total structure. We call upon Shri Rambhakts to donate such copper plates to the trust."

Adding more, the RJTK said, "Donors can engrave family names, place of origin or their community temples' names on these plates. This way, the copper plates will not only symbolize the unity of this country but also be a testament to the entire country's contribution towards Mandir construction."

Here's what the RJTK said:

Earlier on August 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of or the construction of Ram Mandir. PM Modi in his address has said that the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be a "modern symbol" of culture and nationalist feelings. He was also of the opinion that the Ram Janmabhoomi has got freedom and the construction of the temple will boost the economy of Ayodhya.

As per the details, the temple will be 161 feet tall and almost double the size of what was originally planned. The images released by the trust shows that the temple will be a three-storey stone structure on a raised platform with multiple turrets, pillars and domes.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 20, 2020 01:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).