AYODHYA: A 31-ft statue of Bharata, the Jain King, is coming up in Ayodhya. The statue will be installed at Shri Digambar Jain temple at Raiganj in Ayodhya.

 Ayodhya is also considered the land of five 'Tirthankaras' of the religion. In Jainism, a 'Tirthankara' is a saviour and spiritual teacher.

The entire temple is undergoing renovation, and work is expected to be finished by April. The project's culmination will be celebrated with a lavish event that incorporates Jain religious rites.

The first "Tirthankara," Rishabhanatha, had a son named King Bharata. The King of Ayodhya, Nabhiraj, was the father of Rishabhanatha.  Ravindra Kirti said, the Peethadheeshwar of Shri Digambar Jain temple, the tallest statue of Rishabhanatha is in Ayodhya. "The project will give a further boost to the religious tourism in Ayodhya," he said.

With the rebuilding of the Shri Digambar Jain temple, Jain devotees are expected to go to Ayodhya from all across the nation, according to BJP MLA Ved Prakash Gupta from Ayodhya. 

The Jain temple will also add 720 idols to its collection. The Shri Digambar Jain temple will be promoted by the state tourism bureau as another important temple in Ayodhya.

The Ram Lalla statue will be installed at the temple's sanctum sanctorum on Makar Sankranti in 2024, capping up the Ayodhya celebrations for the grand opening of the Ram temple, which will start in December.

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