PUNJAB CM to lay foundation stone of Ram Tirath temple on Valmiki Jyanti

Chandigarh, July 24, 2013: In order to perpetuate the rich legacy of Bhagwan Vailmiki Maharaj, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal would lay down the foundation stone of the civil works of the world class historical monument cum Temple with inbuilt Museum and Panorama at Sri Valmiki Ashram (Ram Tirath) near Amritsar on the auspicious occasion of Bhagwan Valmiki Jayanti on October 18, this year. 

A decision to this effect was taken by the Chief Minister in a high level meeting of Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Vikas Board constituted for the development of Sri Valmiki Ashram (Ram Tirath) under the Chairmanship of Cabinet Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike.

Taking part in the deliberations, the Chief Minister said that the new Temple to be constructed at Sri Valmiki Ashram (Ram Tirath), at a cost of Rs 115 crore, would be an engineering marvel spruced with rare architecture, landscaping besides aesthetically designed. Reiterating the firm commitment of the state government to undertake renovation and beautification of this sacred place from its historical and religious perspective, he asked the Architecture department of the Guru Nanak Dev University to design and supervise the construction of this worldclass temple besides providing the structural designs of this project within two months. Badal also approved a corpus of Rs 10 crore to be kept at the disposal of the Board for managing the routine expenditure.

The Chief Minister said that it was a matter of great pride and honor for the state government to offer humble tributes to Bhagwan Vailmki Maharaj Ji by developing this site, where the 'Maharishi' had propagated the concept of egalitarian society by composing the legendary epic ‘Ramayana'. Emphasising on the need for developing this site as a world class heritage, he said that the devotees who visit this sacred place from every nook and corner of the world should experience an aura of divinity and serenity. He categorically said that this Temple would be unique in the sense that it would not only help in disseminating the philosophy of Bhagwan Valmiki Maharaj  for carving out a harmonious society in the state but would also act as a lighthouse to guide the destiny of our youth through the great ethical and moral values preached by him.

The Chief Minister said that the museum and the panorama to be constructed at Sri Valmiki Ashram would showcase the teachings of Bhagwan Valmiki, which propagated the ethos of equality and spirituality globally in line with the Principles of how an ideal man, ideal ruler and ideal people should ought to be for the formation of an ideal state or society. He further said that the work would be executed in a phased manner and during the first phase the construction of Temple and Multi Storey Bus/car parking would be undertaken followed by construction of Langar Hall, Sangat Hall and Museum in the second, third and fourth phase respectively.

Underscoring the need to evolve a foolproof mechanism to ensure efficiency and transparency for the management and regulation of the temple affairs, the Chief Minister said that a statutory body must be entrusted this job. He also asked the Deputy Commissioner Amritsar, in the capacity of Member Secretary of the Board to study the different proposals regarding the matter so that better management of the temple could be ensured. The Deputy Commissioner apprised Badal that the model of Mansa Devi Temple Shrine Board could also be replicated here. 

Prominent amongst those present in the meeting included Cabinet Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike, Financial Commissioner Development NS Kang, Principal Secretary Tourism and Cultural Affairs SS Channy, Secretary (Expenditure) Jaspal Singh, Special Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister KJS Cheema, Director Welfare Prithi Chand, Deputy Commissioner Amritsar Rajat Aggarwal and Joint Director Rural Development Jaspal Singh besides Prof. Sarvjeet Singh Behl from Architecture Department GNDU Amritsar, who also made a power point presentation on the concept and design of the upcoming temple in the meeting.