Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Friday unveiled a seven-foot-tall statue of Hindu deity Ram in Ayodhya. The statue, made out of a single block of rosewood, was installed in a museum called the Ayodhya Shodh Sansthan.

In his speech, Adityanath said a lot of development was happening in Ayodhya, “which is known as the land where Ram was born”. “We should all have a same goal, that should be the goal of nationalism,” he added. “Our wish is to build a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya.”

The statue was purchased from the Cauvery Emporium in Karnataka for Rs 35 lakh. “This year, some big incidents took place,” India Today quoted the chief minister as saying. “I thank sants [saints] in Ayodhya who blessed Narendra Modi. The PM will now make India the superpower in the world. The people of India rejected the negativity in politics. If the country is safe then the religion is safe.”

Adityanath also released books and a postal cover at the event. According to the chief minister’s office, a ‘Ram in Handicrafts’ museum has been set up at the Ayodhya Shodh Sansthan. The chief minister also inspected construction work at the city bus station, and beautification efforts going on at Guptar Ghat.

On Wednesday, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad declared it would not wait indefinitely for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The group said it would convene a meeting with its leaders later this month to discuss the matter.