Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, reached Ayodhya Wednesday to attend an event about the Ram temple under construction. This is a significant milestone in this process.

The Chief Minister will participate in a ceremony to place the first carved stones in the temple’s foundation stone, the ‘Garbh Griha.

The Ram Janmabhoomi Trust which is leading the construction of the temple, stated last week that white marbles from Rajasthan’s Makrana hills would be used for the sanctumsanctorum.

According to Ram temple trust, the temple project would require eight to nine million cubic feet (or more) of carved and uncarved sandstone. It also requires 6.37 lakh cubic metres of uncarved granite. 4.70 lakh cubic meters of carved pink limestone will be used in the temple. The temple will need 13.300 cubic yards Makrana white carved stone for its sanctum sanctorum.

Prior to the construction of the temple, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the “bhoomi pujan”, or the ceremony of laying the foundation stones for the temple.

It is expected that the temple will be ready for use just before the 2024 general Elections.

Yogi Adityanath’s arrival to Ayodhya to perform the ceremony coincides with a crucial time in Uttar Pradesh’s history when courts are hearing cases involving disputes regarding mosques, such as the Gyanvapi mosque at Varanasi near the Kashi Viswanath Temple and the Shahi Idgah Mosque in Mathura close to the ‘Krishna Janmabhoomi, or the birthplace for Lord Krishna.