As verdict date nears, devotees visiting makeshift temple drop

AYODHYA: With the town turning into a virtual fortress ahead of the verdict in the Ayodhya title suit case, the makeshift temple at the disputed site, which is otherwise abuzz with activity, wears a deserted look with the number of devotees trickling down.

"The number of devotees has definitely gone down by almost 60 per cent in the last few days," head priest of Ram Janmbhoomi temple Mahant Acharya Satyendra Das said.

While more than 12 lakh devotees had paid obeisance at the Ramlala temple in August, the turnout in September was between one to 1.5 lakh only, temple sources said.

"Usually 7,000 to 8,000 devotees visit the temple every day, which goes upto 15,000 during peak season," Acharya Das said.

He said that after the verdict date was fixed by the Allahabad High Court last week, the number of devotees visiting the city drastically came down.

For instance on September 25, only 2,700 devotees visited the temple to pay obeisance to Ramlala, the sources said, adding this number included jawans deployed in the town.