Gujarat diamond businessman donates Rs 11 crore crown for Ram Lalla's idol

Mukesh Patel handed over the crown during the pran prathishtha ceremony in the presence of the temple's chief priest and trustees of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra Trust. (Image credit: Twitter/@VikashPolai).

A Surat-based businessman donated a diamond crown  worth Rs 11 crore for the Ram Lalla idol that was consecrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Monday.

Mukesh Patel, who owns the Green Lab Diamond Company in Surat, visited Ayodhya with his family to present the crown, that was adorned with diamond, gold and other gemstones and weighed four-and-a-half kg, to the temple trust authorities.

Patel handed over the crown during the pran prathishtha ceremony in the presence of the temple's chief priest and trustees of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra Trust.

Two employees from the Surat firm were sent to Ayodhya by a plane on January 5 to measure the head of the Ram Lalla idol to prepare the crown accordingly, national treasurer of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Dinesh Navadia said. Additionally, two silver replicas of the shrine were gifts from Surat that shone at the consecration ceremony.

The silver replicas of the temple weighing 3 kgs, which were gifted by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to PM Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) head Mohan Bhagwat after the 'pran pratishtha' (consecration) ceremony in Ayodhya, were made by a Surat jeweller.

The silver temple replicas were built by D Khushaldas Jewellers around four months ago when the date of consecration of the idol at the Lord Ram temple was announced, its owner Deepak Chokshi said.

"Surat is famous for gold, silver and diamond, and the two silver temple replicas prepared by D Khushalbhai Jewellers were gifted to PM Modi and Bhagwatji. Four months back, we had met Yogiji with the temple model, and he suggested that we install Ram Lalla in the temple model and make some other changes," Chokshi told PTI.

PM Modi took part in the 'pran pratishtha' rituals in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Adityanath and Bhagwat.

(With inputs from PTI).