Bhopal, Sep 10 (IANS): The Ayodhya Ram temple movement was "no less" than the freedom struggle, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra General Secretary Champat Rai said on Monday.

Rai, who was participating in a felicitation event in Indore, said that the demolition of the Ram temple in Ayodhya was an insult to Bharat and the Hindu community.

Addressing the gathering at the event, he said that more than Rs 2,800 crore was received as donations from over 10 crore people for the construction of the Ram temple and the committee has paid all taxes.

"Re-building the Ram temple was a matter of prestige for the Hindu community because we can't live with the marks of slavery for a longer period. Building the temple was a need for our identification," Rai said.

He further said that the people's perspective towards the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has changed in the past few decades and more and more people are getting associated with it. "In the 60s, people were not willing to associate themselves with the RSS and the main reason for that was false allegations were made against us. But, the scenario has changed now," Rai added.

He said that scores of people, including priests, have sacrificed their lives to keep the Ram temple movement alive in the heart of the Hindu community in the past 500 years. "The songs we recited at RSS camps for the last several decades are becoming a reality now," Rai said.

He said that no iron or steel was used in the construction of the grand temple structure. Stones have been sourced from Rajasthan's Bansi Paharpur area. The most significant undertaking involves the commencement of the construction of the Raja Ram's 'darbar' on the first and second floors of the temple.