MYAGDI, NEPAL, January 29, 2023 (Daily Excelsior): Nepal has dispatched two Shaligram stones to India’s Ayodhya for the construction of statues of Ram and Janaki expected to be placed in the main temple complex of the under-construction Ram Mandir. Found only on the riverbanks of Kali Gandaki River that flows through Myagdi and Mustang district, the Shaligrams are already on their way to Ayodhya via Janakpur. On arrival, statues of Lord Ram and Sita will be built by Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra. Nepali Congress leader and former deputy prime minister Bimalendra Nidhi, who hails from Janakpur, the birthplace of Sita, is coordinating with the Janaki temple which is sending the two stones from the Kali Gandaki River where Shaligrams are found in abundance.
“Stones found in the Kali Gandaki River are well known and very precious in the world. It is widely accepted that these stones are symbols of Lord Vishnu. Lord Ram is the incarnation of Bhagwan Vishnu which is why the stone from Kali Gandaki River, if available, would be very good to make Ram Lala’s murti (statue) in Ayodhya for Ram Janma Bhumi Temple. It was requested by Champat Rai- the General Secretary of the Trust (Ram Janma Bhoomi Teertha Kshetra) and I was very much active and interested in this, ” Nidhi told ANI. “I visited Ayodhya along with my colleague Ram Tapeshwar Das- Mahantha(Priest) of Janaki Temple. We had a meeting with the Trust authorities and other saints of Ayodhya. It was decided that upon the availability of the stones from Kali Gandaki River of Nepal, it would be good for them to make the Murti (statue) of Ram Lala,” the former deputy prime minister said. He said that they have finalized two stones, one weighing 18 tons and another of 16 tons and it has been approved both technically and scientifically for the making of the statue.
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https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/nepal-dispatches-2-shaligram-stones-to-ayodhya-for-ram-janaki-idols/