AN EIGHT-inch Ram Lalla idol made of “asthadhatu” and hailing from Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham in Tamil Nadu, is ready, as the Trust members are preparing for ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ of a Ram Temple replica on January 22 in Murshidabad.

The Bongiyo Ram Sevak Parishad Charitable Trust, says the statue that would eventually be placed in the temple will be “different, bigger” and much more attuned to Bengali traditions.

Recently, while TMC MLA Humayun Kabir announced the building of a Babri Masjid replica in Murshidabad, Hindu outfits announced a Ram Mandir replica to be built in the same district.

“We will go ahead with the Ram Temple (replica) Bhoomi Pujan on January 22,” said Ambikananda Maharaj, president of the trust.

“The idol is about eight inches tall, made of ashtadhatu, and reflects ‘balya roop’ (childhood),” said Maharaj. “However, the idol placed in the temple, once finished, will be different. There will be three layers in the temple. On the topmost layer will be the idol of Ram worshiping Maa Durga signifying Akal Bodhon (worship of Durga in the month of Ashvin). There will be another idol of Sri Ram, with Sita Devi, Lakshman and Hanuman among others at the second layer.”

“Though the structure will be exactly like the one in Ayodhya, the idols will reflect Bengal’s culture. Bengali icons and luminaries will be represented on the walls of the temple. We will invite all political party leaders and even the Chief Minister for the Bhoomi Pujan,” he said.

The Trust claimed to have identified 28 to 30 bighas of land in Murshidabad that would be “be donated” to it.

Meanwhile, TMC MLA Humayun Kabir earlier told The Indian Express that the trust for the construction of a mosque would be floated in February and the foundation stone would be laid on December 6 — the same date in 1992 when Hindu kar sevaks razed the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.