Ayodhya is a place to witness thousands of people every day but due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis and the rapid increase in number, it is doubtful that the Ram Mandir will receive such a footfall in the initial days. The most prominent spot to open up again in Ayodhya will be the temporary temple of Lord Ram inside the Ram Janmabhoomi or Lord Ram's birthplace.
In March, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had presided over a ceremony to move the idol of Lord Ram from a tin structure where it was kept for decades to a new fiber one. This new place of worship will open for devotees starting today with all social distancing and other guidelines. The earlier tin structure could also be accessed by devotees with many security restrictions.
In November last year, the Supreme Court ruled that the then disputed land in Ayodhya would be given to a government-run trust for the building of a temple for Lord Ram and Muslims will be given a five-acre "suitable" plot elsewhere in the district, in a landmark verdict.
Post the landmark verdict a trust was formed to overlook the construction of the Ram Temple and a foundation stone had to be laid around April this year in a grand event and Prime was to be invited for the special occasion. But the COVID-19 changed all the plans and now it is unclear when a new date for the beginning of construction will be set.
However, many prominent places of worship in Ayodhya and Mathura will remain shut due to the daily surge in numbers in coronavirus cases
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