Ayodhya  

South Korean first lady Kim Jung-sook attended the record-breaking event after meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a four-day visit to India.

'The tender for selecting the architect (for the Lord Ram statue) and design consultant was floated and the shortlisted firms gave a presentation before the chief minister. Some changes were suggested and a fresh presentation will be made for the final selection,' a senior official of the Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam (UPRNN), said

On Friday, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had said Hindus were feeling "insulted" by the Supreme Court's declaration that the Ayodhya issue is not a priority and insisted that an ordinance would be needed if all options run out.

The BJP MLA asked why the Supreme Court was delaying hearing the matter and said that the issue of a Ram temple in Ayodhya is a "top priority for Hindu society".

VHP working president demanded the Union government to enact a law to clear the way for building a grand temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya.

The Ujjain-based akhara, Mahamandaleshwar Lakshmi Narayan, and the organisation’s spokesperson Anita Ma, said the Ram temple would certainly be constructed in Ayodhya even if they had to irrigate the haloed land with their blood

On Monday, the apex court fixed the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute cases for the first week of January before an appropriate bench, which will decide the schedule of hearing