The testing of the foundation pillars for the Ram temple continued at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya on Saturday as the work could not be completed before the start of Navratri when the construction of the temple was supposed to begin.

“The testing work of the foundation pillars of Ram temple continues. It is expected to be over by the end of this month,” said Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, the successor-designate to Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, chairman of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

“Navratri is considered auspicious and saints wanted to start the construction work of the Ram temple on this occasion,” Mahant Kamal Nayan Das added.

The trust had planned to start the construction work from this Navratri. The nine-day festival began on Saturday. About 12 foundation pillars have already been laid at Ram Janmabhoomi. Larsen and Toubro, the company carrying out the construction work, is conducting the testing under the guidance of experts from IIT-Madras.

On September 11, the trust had started the piling work for testing the foundation pillars. Around 1,200 pillars will be laid about 100 feet below the surface to prepare the temple’s foundation. In technical terms, this process is called piling.

To begin with, one pillar, a metre in diameter, was laid 100 feet below the ground. These pillars are being subjected to various tests to check their strength and durability. The testing was expected to be completed by October 15 but could not be done.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had presided over the ‘bhoomi pujan’ ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5. On November 9, the Supreme Court had paved way for the construction of the Ram temple by announcing the landmark verdict.