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As temple issue rages, 300,000 bricks
wait in Ayodhya

Ajay Kaul in Ayodhya

As the Ram temple issue rages all around, in Ayodhya a frail octogenarian sadhu is completely engrossed in taking care of a pile of bricks.

After all, these 300,000 bricks are not ordinary. With Shri Ram inscribed on them, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad proposes to use these bricks in constructing the Ram temple at the disputed site.

"It is not a recent assignment. I have been performing this task for the last 13-odd years," says Chaitanya Maharaj, sitting in his small room in the VHP's office, barely 200 metres from the disputed site.

"Taking care of these bricks and to ensure that no damage is done to them is of utmost important to me, as they represent the sentiments of crores of people," he adds.

Following a call by the VHP, the bricks were "donated" by 300,000 villages from across the country. Special yagyas were performed before each brick was prepared.

They have also been sent from as far as the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, The Netherlands and Canada.

"Countries do not matter when it comes to aastha (sentiments)," Chaitanya Maharaj says.

The bricks, in various shapes and sizes, also represent the diversity within India, as the words Shri Ram are written in at least 12 languages.

A sum of Rs 800,000 has also been collected through donations for the construction of the temple.

"Interest accrued on the sum is used for the maintenance of the VHP office here," he says.

With two attendants at his service, Chaitanya Maharaj does not fail to take care of the bricks and ensures that they are cleaned every week to preserve the shine.

However, about 200 bricks have been broken by monkeys, which roam about freely in his compound.

Ask him when the bricks will be put to use, and he says: "There is no worry as these will be preserved for quite some time and used whenever the issue is resolved."

PTI

The Ayodhya Issue: Complete Coverage

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