UP cabinet clears expansion of Ayodhya temple museum; Tata Sons to build, operate it

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday approved the expansion of the proposed temple museum in Ayodhya, contracting Tata Sons to develop and operate the project on the 52-acre site.

Briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said Tata Sons had expressed willingness to build a state-of-the-art museum and run it through a not-for-profit special purpose vehicle (SPV) under its CSR commitments.

Representatives of the Union government and the state government will be part of the SPV, he said.


Khanna said that an MoU between the Union government, the state, and Tata Sons for land allocation was signed on September 3, 2024. Earlier, the state had approved the transfer of 25 acres of nazul land in Manjha Jamthara village of Ayodhya for 90 years.

However, Tata Sons sought more land to match the scale and architectural grandeur envisioned for the project.

"Accordingly, an additional 27.102 acres will now be transferred - free of cost - from the Housing and Urban Planning Department to the Tourism Department, taking the total project area to 52.102 acres," Khanna said.

Ayodhya has seen a massive increase in footfall since the Pran Pratishtha at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple earlier this year, with an estimated 2 to 4 lakh visitors arriving daily, officials said.