Ayodhya, Jan 26 (IANS): The process for starting the construction of a mosque in the Dhannipur village in Ayodhya began on Tuesday.

The members of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) that will oversee the mosque construction, unfurled the national flag on the occasion of Republic Day on Tuesday morning and this was followed by plantation of tree saplings by the chief trustee and the member trustees of the IICF.

As envisaged in the project, a green area, which will have plants from all over the world -- from the Amazon rainforest to areas in Australia that report bushfires -- and from all different geographical regions of India will be developed to create awareness on the imminent threat posed by climate change.

Zufar Faruqi, chairman of IICF, planted a tamarind sapling and he was joined by other members and local villagers.

The soil from the designated plot was taken out for testing before the actual construction begins.

The first pictures of the project had been released on December 19 last year by the IICF.

Following the release, secretary and spokesperson of the trust Athar Hussain had confirmed that the Dhannipur Mosque project includes a hospital, a museum, a library, a community kitchen, the Indo-Islamic Research Centre, a publication house and a mosque.

A mosque measuring 15,000 square feet will be built in the Dhannipur village. It will be of the same size as that of the Babri mosque. The shape of the mosque may be completely different from that of other mosques.

Although the blueprint suggests a circular mosque with a unique minaret over it, project architect S.M. Akhtar hinted that it may be square-shaped like the Kaaba Sharif in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The five-acre plot had been given to the Sunni Waqf Board in lieu of the land on which the Babri mosque stood, prior to the demolition. This was as per the verdict of the Supreme Court in November 2019.