On Monday, Nripendra Mishra, chairman of the Ram Temple Construction Committee, responded to reports of water leakage at the Ayodhya Ram Temple, dismissing claims of any “design or construction issue.” He attributed the leakage to ongoing construction work. “I am in Ayodhya. I observed rainwater dripping from the first floor. This is expected because the Guru Mandap is currently exposed to the sky. Once the second floor and the Shikhar are completed, this opening will be covered,” Misra told news agency ANI.
He further elaborated, “I also saw some seepage from the conduit as this work on the first floor is in progress. On completion, the conduit will be closed.” Mishra reassured that there are no underlying design or construction flaws contributing to the leakage, stating, “There is no design or construction issue.” Addressing concerns about drainage in the Sanctum Santorum, Mishra clarified, “There is no drainage in the Sanctum Santorum because all the Mandaps have measured slope for clearance of water and the water in Sanctum Santorum is manually absorbed.” Mishra’s statements come after the chief priest of the Ram Mandir, Acharya Satyendra Das, said that water leakage has been observed in the temple’s sanctum sanctorum and other areas just after the first monsoon rains.
“During the first rain, the roof of the sanctum sanctorum where the idol of Ram Lalla resides began to leak,” Acharya Satyendra Das told ANI. “Attention should be paid to this issue and what caused it.. There’s no way for rainwater to drain out of the temple. If the rain intensifies, it could disrupt prayer services,” he added. In another interview with PTI, the chief priest of the Ram Mandir expressed, “It is very surprising. So many engineers are here and the Pran Pratishtha was held on January 22, but water is leaking from the roof. Nobody would’ve thought this.” He called for action and investigation, highlighting concerns over the construction process. The Ram Mandir chief priest cautioned that unless the issue is promptly addressed, it could complicate prayer rituals, particularly with the expected increase in rainfall. The Pran Pratistha ceremony of Ram Lalla in the Ayodhya Ram Mandir was held on January 22 this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the ceremony, which was attended by senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders like Amit Shah, Yogi Adityanath, and JP Nadda.