2024 - Ayodhya Ram Mandir (Mumbai) | Mint Souvenir Token

The India Government Mint, Mumbai, issued a coloured silver souvenir token on Ayodhya Ram Mandir featuring Shri Ram Lala. This was issued nearly a month after the India Government Mint, Kolkata, released a souvenir token featuring the same design.

The Ram Mandir, situated in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, is a Hindu temple revered by millions of devotees who believe that the site is the birthplace of Lord Rama, one of the principal deities of Hinduism and an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

In 1528, the Babri Masjid was constructed at the disputed site under the command of Mir Baqi, a commander in the Mughal Empire, reportedly on the orders of Babur. The earliest recorded reference to the mosque is generally associated with Descriptio Indiae, a Latin work written in 1767 by Jesuit missionary Joseph Tiefenthaler. He described local traditions associating the site with Ram Janmabhoomi and Ramkot, which was believed to have been associated with Lord Rama.

The dispute over the site continued for centuries and became a major source of religious and legal contention. The first recorded instance of religious violence at the site occurred in 1853. By December 1858, the British administration had restricted Hindu religious activities within the mosque premises and permitted worship on a platform outside the structure.

Following decades of legal proceedings and disputes, the Supreme Court of India, in its landmark judgment of November 9, 2019, unanimously awarded the disputed land for the construction of a Ram temple. The Court directed that an alternative five-acre site be allotted to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque. The judgment also considered the findings of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) regarding the remains beneath the demolished structure.

The construction of the Ram Mandir formally commenced with the Bhumi Pujan ceremony on August 5, 2020, in the presence of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The ceremony marked the beginning of the construction of the grand temple complex at the Ram Janmabhoomi site.

The Prana Pratishtha ceremony of the newly constructed temple was held on January 22, 2024. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi participated in the consecration ceremony, which was conducted under the auspices of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. The ceremony marked a significant milestone in the history of the temple and attracted widespread attention across India and abroad.

The construction of the temple was supported by contributions from devotees across the country. A nationwide fundraising campaign was conducted to mobilise financial support for the project, reflecting the widespread public participation associated with the temple's construction.

The principal deity of the temple is Ram Lala, representing Lord Rama in his childhood form. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust commissioned three sculptors—Ganesh Bhatt, Satyanarayan Pandey and Arun Yogiraj—to create the proposed idols. The Trust specified that the deity should be depicted as a five-year-old child with a cheerful expression and a divine yet princely appearance.

The murti sculpted by Arun Yogiraj was selected as the principal deity for the temple. The idol depicts Balak Ram in a standing posture (Sthānaka Bhangima) upon a lotus pedestal (Vishvapadmasana). The sculpture was created from a stone sourced from the Mysuru region of Karnataka and was carved according to traditional guidelines associated with Shilpa Shastras.

The Ram Mandir stands as an important religious and cultural landmark in Ayodhya. Its history encompasses centuries of tradition, historical disputes, legal proceedings and architectural development, while the temple today serves as a major centre of devotion dedicated to Lord Rama.