The construction of the Ram temple complex in Ayodhya is estimated to cost around Rs 1,100 crore, and would take about three-and-a-half years to complete, the treasurer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust said, PTI reported on Tuesday.

Swami Govind Dev Giriji Maharaj, the treasurer of the Trust that is overseeing the construction, said that it would cost around Rs 300 crore to Rs 400 crore to build the main Ram temple, while the entire premises would cost around Rs 1,100 crore.

The Ram temple’s construction began in August, over two weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid its foundation stone at an elaborate ceremony in Ayodhya on August 5. Modi had laid a symbolic 40-kg silver brick in the sanctum sanctorum, or innermost sanctuary, to mark the start of the temple construction in Ayodhya. The celebrations were, however, toned down because of the coronavirus crisis.

The treasurer added that experts from several Indian Institutes of Technology and the Central Building Research Institute in Roorkee, and engineers from companies such as L&T and Tata Group were drawing up a plan for the temple’s foundation. “Options given for the foundation of the temple will be discussed at tomorrow’s meeting [of the trust] and final selection will be done,” he added.

Giriji Maharaj added that the trust has received around Rs 100 crore as online donations so far. “Besides, we will be reaching out to 4 lakh villages and 11 crore families so that all sections of the society can participate in this initiative,” he added.

A landmark Supreme Court verdict in November 2019 had paved the way for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The court had ruled that the disputed land in Ayodhya would be handed over to a government-run trust for the construction of a Ram temple. The court had also said that the demolition of Babri Masjid was illegal and directed the government to acquire an alternative plot of land to build a mosque.