In November 2019, a protracted legal battle came to an end with the Supreme Court paving the way for the construction of a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Nearly a year later, on August 5, 2020 Prime Minister Modi took part in the bhoomi pujan for the upcoming temple.
Preparations for the construction of a grand temple are still underway. Fundraising campaigns are currently taking place in various states, and many political leaders, businessmen and others have donated generously.
Perhaps the most influential name in the list of donations is that of President Ram Nath Kovind. According to reports, he has donated a sum of Rs. 5 lakh for the construction of the temple.
He is not alone. Other authority figures in the list of benefactors include two Chief Ministers - Uttar Pradesh's Yogi Adityanath and Madhya Pradesh's Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Champat Rai, the General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had reportedly said some time ago that the UP CM had donated a sum of Rs 11 lakh.
While not an individual donation, the Shiv Sena which leads the tri-party Maharashtra government has also donated a whopping Rs. 1 crore to the initiative. BJP leaders Gordhan Zadaphia and Surendra Patel have donated Rs 5 lakh each.
Political groups and personalities are not the only people donating to the Trust. According to reports, at the end of December, Rs 100 crore had already been collected for the project. And as the recent donation drive gains momentum, the numbers have only increased.
A diamond trader in Gujarat for example, has donated a massive sum of Rs. 11 crore to the Trust. Govindbhai Dholakia who owns Ramakrishna Diamond is reportedly associated with the RSS and made the donation on Friday. The article adds that several other major donations have also been made by other businessmen in the state. Mahesh Kabootarwala of Surat has reportedly donated Rs. 5 crore, while another individual named Loveji Badshah donated Rs. 1 crore. Several other traders have also reportedly donated significant amounts - from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 21 lakh.