Priests conducted special prayers at a Shiva shrine at the Ram Janmabhoomi site in Ayodhya but stopped short of symbolically launching the construction of a Ram temple, contrary to an announcement made earlier this week. Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, who participated in the ‘rudrabhishek’ ritual at the Kuber Tila shrine said he prayed for an early beginning of construction of the Ram temple. “Along with the disciples of the Mani Ram Chawni temple, I went to the Ram Janmabhoomi premises and performed the ‘rudrabhishek ‘ and prayed to Lord Shiva for an early start to the temple’s construction,” he told PTI. It also ordered that an alternative five-acre plot must be found within Ayodhya for a mosque to replace the Babri Masjid, demolished in 1992 by kar sevaks claiming that a Ram temple originally stood at the same spot. In March, the Ram Lalla deity was ceremoniously moved from the makeshift temple at the site to a new spot, clearing the way for the construction of the temple.

Source: The Hindu June 10, 2020 13:15 UTC