NEW DELHI: Topped with a 'shikhar' style dome and bow and arrow peculiar to Lord Ram, the new railway station in Ayodhya, which is set to be inaugurated on Saturday, has all the trappings of a temple.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to open the redeveloped Ayodhya Junction station during his visit to the holy city on Saturday. Ayodhya railway junction has been renamed as Ayodhya Dham junction, local MP Lallu Singh said on Wednesday.
The new building stands next to the old station building. Ayodhya district has two main railway stations -- Ayodhya Junction located in Ayodhya City and Ayodhya Cantt (earlier Faizabad Junction) in Faizabad City.
"Earlier, many passengers were getting confused between the two stations. Now, they will know that Ayodhya Dham station means the one near the holy Ayodhya city, and not get it mixed with the station (Ayodhya Cantt) on the Faizabad city side. The old board is expected to be changed very soon," Ayodhya Junction's Station Superintendent Vijay Kumar Choubey told PTI.
In 2019, the Faizabad district was renamed Ayodhya District, which was followed by the rechristening of Faizabad junction in 2021.
The redevelopment work on the station, which started a couple of years ago, has been executed by RITES, or Rail India Technical and Economic Service Limited, a central public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, and one of the Navaratnas.
A board that has been put up near the new structure describes the new station as an "extension building" of the existing railway station.
PTI visited the newly built station earlier this week when leftover masonry, stone polishing, and paint works were still strewn about.
.A senior RITES official said the new station building comes equipped with many modern facilities that passengers usually get at an airport, but the architecture of its facade "embraces tradition" in a nod to the upcoming Ram temple.
"The building's frontage has a colonnade having a concrete core with a cladding of sandstone, and on its side ends are tall round pillars, again having a cladding of sandstone to lend it a traditional look," the person told PTI on the condition of anonymity. "The top of the station has a structure with a design that resembles a royal 'mukut' while a bow has been depicted on a wall just beneath it. This is to signify Ayodhya's association with Lord Ram," the official added.