People click pictures with the lock, ahead of the consecration ceremony of Ram Mandir, in Ayodhya, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024.
PTI Photo
Ayodhya: A lock weighing around 400 kilograms, manufactured in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh town, renowned as 'Tala Nagari' (lock town), arrived in Ayodhya on Saturday.
The lock, along with its key weighing around 30 kilograms, was brought to Karsevak Puram, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) office in Ayodhya by seer Annapurna Bhartiji Maharaj.
The seer mentioned that the lock and key were crafted by Satyaprakash Sharma, a lock manufacturer, and his wife Rukmani Sharma. Unfortunately, Satyaprakash passed away due to a cardiac arrest in Aligarh last month.
The lock measures over six feet in length and more than three feet in width. It is made of around 65 kilograms of brass. The seer noted, "It took six months to manufacture the lock and the key," billing it as the largest lock in the world.
Although it remains unclear how the lock will be used in the Ram Temple, the seer's disciples mentioned that the lock and key were gifts from locksmiths in Aligarh. The people of Ayodhya are expected to regard it as a symbolic gesture from the town.