Barely months after the grand opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the temple town has experienced severe waterlogging following the arrival of monsoon. The newly constructed Ram Path road, leading to the Ram Temple, has seen several cave-ins since the rain began. The 14-km stretch of the road developed potholes, prompting authorities to carry out immediate repairs to prevent inconvenience for devotees.

The situation has raised concerns about the rapid and extensive infrastructure developments in the region. Six civic officials have been suspended over “gross negligence”, officials said.

Ayodhya Mayor Girish Pati Tripathi said that efforts to remove the rainwater began as soon as the waterlogging was reported.

Last week, heavy rain reportedly caused leaks at the temple. The Chief Priest of the Ram Temple claimed that rainwater was leaking from the roof and accumulating inside the complex, with no arrangements in place to drain the water from the temple premises.

Dismissing these claims, Champat Rai, general secretary of the Temple Trust, said “not a single drop of water” dripped from the roof, nor had water entered the Sanctum Sanctorum or ‘Garbha Griha’ from anywhere. He also said that “excellent arrangements” have been made at the temple to drain rainwater, according to NDTV.

Rai clarified that what seemed to be a roof leak was actually water coming from a conduit pipe due to ongoing construction work on the first floor of the temple.

Nripendra Misra, chairman of the Ram Temple Construction Committee, had said that the water leakage at the Ram Mandir was anticipated because the Guru Mandap is exposed to the sky during the ongoing construction. However, he assured that the water never entered the ‘Garbha Griha’.

“I am in Ayodhya. I saw the rainwater falling from the first floor. This is expected because Guru Mandap is exposed to the sky as the second floor and completion of Shikhar will cover this opening. There is no drainage in the Sanctum Santorum because all the Mandaps have measured slope for clearance of water and the water in Sanctum Santorum is manually absorbed,” Mishra told media.

Ram Temple in Ayodhya was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22. Believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram, the temple is one of the holiest sites in Hindusim.