VVIP events worth ₹124 crore of Ram Mandir Trust are now on the radar of SIT. The audit of expenses ranging from consecration to flag hoisting has started. Know the whole matter…
Ram Mandir SIT Investigation: The noose of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the offerings made at the Ram temple in Ayodhya has now tightened further. After initial revelations of manipulation in offerings, the SIT has now turned its focus to larger and high-profile events organized by the temple trust. The investigation team is now conducting a complete forensic audit of the financial records of the Ram Mandir Trust for the last two years. In this, files of huge expenditure of more than Rs 124 crore have been reopened.
The investigation team is investigating every penny in Ram temple.
The SIT is investigating whether the money spent on such big events was as per the rules, approvals and financial guidelines set by the Trust or not. For this, Chartered Accountant (CA) records, payment vouchers, bills and bank statements are being scrutinized in depth.
3 big events under Ram Mandir investigation
- Historic consecration ceremony in January 2024
- Arrangements made for devotees during Mahakumbh in the year 2025
- Grand flag hoisting program organized in November 2025
₹113 crore spent on Ramlala’s life consecration ceremony
The biggest expenditure on SIT’s radar is the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla on 22 January 2024. About 8,000 VVIP guests from India and abroad attended this grand event, on which a total of Rs 113 crore was spent. According to the audit report, the breakup of this Rs 113 crore is something like this…
- The highest expenditure of ₹35.97 crore was spent on guest accommodation and infrastructure i.e. tent city and sheds.
- An expenditure of ₹ 30.85 crore was incurred on the management of the countrywide Akshat Pujan campaign.
- ₹21.77 crore was spent on media, publicity and advertisements.
- ₹14.62 crore was spent on polishing, decoration and lighting of the entire Ayodhya and temple complex.
- Other major expenses like ₹5.11 crore were spent on food sector (food), ₹1.06 crore on religious rituals, ₹93 lakh on raga seva (devotional music), ₹68 lakh on sound system and ₹43 lakh each on electricity and mandal puja.
- The first ‘Pratishtha Dwadashi’ festival, celebrated in January 2025, also cost ₹83 lakh, of which ₹52 lakh alone was spent on lighting and decoration.
Flag hoisting ceremony: Average spend per guest ₹16,000
The second biggest focus of the investigation is the official flag hoisting ceremony of Ram Temple held on 25 November 2025. About 6,000 special guests including Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended this program. According to the trust documents, the total expenditure of this one-day event was Rs 10.12 crore. If this is averaged over the total number of guests, then the expenditure on each guest comes to around Rs 16,000. The SIT is now looking into what payment rules were adopted for this program and whether its complete financial statements were placed in the main meetings of the Trust or not.
Price of gold and silver will be matched per kg. Donation of gold and silver will also be matched.
Apart from the expenses, the SIT is also keeping a close eye on the gold and silver donations worth crores of rupees given to Ram Lalla by the devotees. The investigation team is matching whether the amount of donation recorded in the records is completely safe or not. According to records, between November 2024 and February 2025, devotees dedicated 2.3 kg gold and 83.3 kg silver to Ram Lalla. Additional offerings came during the Mahakumbh. During this period, 1.5 kg gold and 28 kg silver were donated separately. The SIT is also conducting on-ground verification along with paper checking of the inventory records of all these precious metals, their locker-storage arrangements and their current status.