Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Wednesday confirmed the state government’s plan to build a statue of Hindu deity Ram in Ayodhya, ANI reported. Surveying and consultations with architects for possible designs of the statue are on, he said.
“There should be a statue of Ram, and it will be discussed according to the availability of land,” Adityanath said. “We have seen a few sites for it today. A ‘statue for purpose of worship’ [idol] can be there in the temple, but a ‘statue for the purpose of viewing’ should also be there, which can become an identity of Ayodhya. We will ensure we respect people’s faith and create an identity for Ayodhya.”
“The statue will be placed indoors, inside a temple,” Adityanath said according to NDTV. “It will be a grand statue and it will become a signpost for Ayodhya.” The chief minister said the statue will become a tourist attraction, and its particulars will be decided according to the land available.
He also said that Ayodhya would become an “excellent city of the world” in the next few years. The Centre and the state have several plans in the pipeline for this, the chief minister said.
Adityanath was in Ayodhya for Diwali celebrations on Tuesday, but did not bring up the matter of the proposed statue, though there was much speculation that he would announce it at the event. Instead, he said the state’s Faizabad district will be renamed Ayodhya, announced a medical college would be named after Ram’s father King Dasharatha, and an airport named after Ram would be built in the city.
On Wednesday, he said the state government has instructed the district administration to complete land acquisition for the airport. “Ayodhya is Ram nagri (Ram’s city), it’s name was changed,” Adityanath said according to ANI. “It has been restored now.”
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