Lucknow, Feb 14 (IANS): Over 80 orphans from the Saadatganj orphanage of the All India Shia Orphanage in Lucknow and people from the minority community donated more than Rs 1.5 lakh for the construction of the Ram temple.

The donations ranged from Rs 1,100 to Rs 10 and Rs 100.

Former chairman of Shia Waqf Board, Wasim Rizvi, said: "Such an initiative will send a message of unity to those who work to divide people in the name of religion."

RSS executive member, Indresh Kumar, said a new chapter of mutual harmony would be written with the construction of the Ram temple.

The Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust is conducting a mass contact and fund-raising campaign from January 15 till February 27 for the construction of the grand temple in Ayodhya.

Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Kshetra Secretary Champat Rai was quoted as saying: "The accounts of the trust in three nationalized banks show an amount of over Rs 1,000 crore. Nearly 1.50 lakh VHP activists are collecting funds for the Ram temple. 37 activists have been deputed to deposit the donations in the bank accounts."