'Sacred' soil, water from Bengal to be sent to Ayodhya for Ram temple 'bhoomi pujan': VHP leader

Sacred soil from major temples in West Bengal and holy water from 'sangam', the confluence of the Ganga with other rivers, will be sent to Ayodhya for 'bhoomi pujan' (groundbreaking ceremony) of the Ram temple on August 5, a senior VHP leader here said.

Sacred soil from major temples in West Bengal and holy water from 'sangam', the confluence of the Ganga with other rivers, will be sent to Ayodhya for 'bhoomi pujan' (groundbreaking ceremony) of the Ram temple on August 5, a senior VHP leader here said. The August 5 ceremony will mark the beginning of the temple's construction. A decades-long title suit over the site at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh was settled by the Supreme Court in November last year.

"Holy water from confluences of rivers such as Gangasagar, Bhagirathi, Triveni, along with the sacred soil of various temples like Kalighat, Dakhineshwar, Gangasagar and Madan Mohan temple of Coochbehar will be sent to Ayodhya. It will be used during the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony of the Ram temple," senior VHP leader and its media-in-charge in Bengal, Sourish Mukherjee, told PTI. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leaders from West Bengal won't be able to attend the programme in Ayodhya, he said.

"We will watch it on TV and make arrangements so that it can be viewed on social media in every nook and corner of the state," Mukherjee said. VHP's international joint general secretary Surendra Jain said this exercise of soil and water collection from all major places of worship is a "symbol of unity and rich heritage of our country".

"This process is a reflection of the united India, which has a rich heritage and history. This will be one of the major events which will go down in history," he said. Veteran BJP leaders LK Advani, MM Joshi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat are among those who have been invited to the 'Bhoomi pujan' ceremony on August 5, trustees of the temple had said on Sunday.

According to the trustees, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Ayodhya for the ceremony..

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