The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which has been established to oversee the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, has said several broken statues of Hindu gods and goddesses have been found at the site where levelling operations are under way.

“During the excavation, a 5-ft Shivling, pillars and broken idols have also been discovered,” it wrote on Twitter. Trust general secretary Champat Rai said the recovery further established the fact that a temple had existed at the site.

The ground is being levelled by tractors and JCB machines. The work began after the Central and Uttar Pradesh governments relaxed the lockdown norms and allowed construction activity.

Mr. Rai said that once levelling was completed, soil testing would begin.

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