The trust set up by the Centre to oversee the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi inviting him to lay the foundation stone on August 3 or August 5.

Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Trust general secretary Champat Rai said after a meeting of the members in Ayodhya: “We have informed the PMO about the dates and are expecting a reply soon.” Eleven members of the trust were present in person at the meeting while the four others joined via videoconferencing.

According to the Hindu calendar, which the trust is consulting to select an auspicious day, August 3 is Shrawan Purnima, when Raksha Bandhan takes place, while August 5 is Krishna Paksha Dwitiya.

“We don’t have any idea about the cost of the proposed temple but can say that there wouldn’t be a dearth of funds. Over 10 crore people are willing to donate for the construction of a magnificent temple,” Rai said.

The trust had earlier invited Modi to lay the foundation stone on July 2 but it was postponed because of the pandemic-induced lockdown.

Earlier on Saturday morning, there had been confusion about the meeting as Nritya Gopal Das, the chairman of the trust, had announced that he wouldn’t attend as he had neither been informed nor invited.

A source in the trust said the meeting date was fixed keeping in mind the convenience of Nripendra Mishra, the head of the Mandir Nirman Samiti, a committee on the construction of the temple. A former IAS officer known for his proximity with Modi, Mishra had reached Ayodhya on Friday.

Rai met Das at the Maniram Chawani Temple in Ayodhya and took him to the meeting.

“It was also decided at the meeting that some changes would be made to the map of the temple to make provisions for building five domes. The previous model had three domes. The temple’s height will also be increased,” the source said.