VHP to launch fundraising drive in Karnataka from Jan 15 for Ram Temple

Speaking to reporters here, Kumar who is also the chief of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust's Nidhi Samarpan Abhiyan, said that the VHP will form one lakh groups, comprising five volunteers each, who will go to 27,500 villages in the state and contact 90 lakh 'devotees' for obtaining the 'Nidhi Samarpan' (fund for temple). 

Elaborating on the plans for fundraising, Kumar said a committee called the Shri Ram Mandir Nidhi Samarpan Abhiyan Samiti has been formed in the state to oversee the fund collection drive. 

According to Kumar, Udupi Pejawar Math Swami Shri Vishva Prasanna Teerth is a trustee of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. Na. Thippeswamy, Kshetriya Karyavah of the RSS' Dakshina Madhya  Kshetra comprising the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, will be the secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Nirman Nidhi Samarpan Samiti. 

Kumar informed that the fund would be collected through tokens of Rs 10, Rs 100, Rs 1,000 and for those who donate more than Rs 2,000 there will be a receipt. 

The VHP president said that the money collected in this manner will be handed to a depositor, who in turn will deposit the entire money within 48 hours in designated bank accounts. 

"Every depositor will have a registered code number at the nearest branch of one of the three banks namely State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and Punjab National Bank. Full transparency would  be maintained in the collection," he added. 

Kumar said that along with the temple, a library, archives, museum, research centre, Yagnyashala (a  place to keep the sacred fire burning), Ved Pathshala (School of Scriptures), Satsang Bhavan (Hall for spiritual congregation), Prasad distribution centre, amphitheatre, Dharamshala (place to stay), Exhibition and other facilities of international standard will come up on 108 acres of land. 

"We have also taken steps to prepare a documentary containing a brief history and objects of the campaign together with an appeal from Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar for the promotion  of the campaign," he said. 

He added that all means of audio visual communication and media outreach would be employed to take the message the entire length and breadth of the country. 

On the temple project, Kumar said Larsen and Toubro is building the temple on a turnkey basis whereas Tata Consultancy would be the engineers for the construction. 

He noted that there was a challenge facing the engineers as the temple was coming up adjacent to the Saryu river and there was sand to a depth of 60 to 70 feet. 

The three-storey stone structure with an estimated life of 1,000 years will be built without using cement and iron rods. 

On August 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had performed the 'bhoomi pujan' of a Supreme Court-mandated Ram temple in Ayodhya, bringing to fruition the BJP's 'mandir' movement that defined its  politics for three decades and took it to the pinnacle of power. 

On November 9, 2019, the SC settled the fractious issue going back more than a century and backed the construction of a Ram temple by a trust at the disputed site. 

It also ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for a mosque in the Hindu holy town of Ayodhya.