Amitabh Bachchan to build 20-room Rs15 crore dharamshala in Ayodhya for his father

Dubai: Amitabh Bachchan is moving ahead with plans to build a memorial dharamshala in Ayodhya, dedicated to his father, the celebrated Hindi poet Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan. The development follows reports in July that the veteran actor had purchased land in the city, and comes nearly two months after those initial reports first surfaced.

According to a report by India Today, an application seeking approval for the building map has been submitted to the Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA). The proposed dharamshala will have more than 20 rooms and sits on land Amitabh acquired for approximately ₹15 crore (around Dh5.75 million) in the Sarayu project along Dashrath Path.

Following the application, the ADA issued a public notice inviting objections to the proposed layout within a 15-day window. Once that process wraps up, formal approval is expected to follow if all requirements are met, with construction anticipated to begin in October, subject to clearance.

ADA Vice Chairman Anurag Jain confirmed to the publication that an application for a dharamshala with more than 20 rooms had been received from Amitabh. He said the layout would be approved following due process, adding that the facility would offer better accommodation for devotees visiting Ayodhya, a major pilgrimage site.

Harivansh Rai Bachchan was a prominent Hindi poet and translator, honoured with the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to literature. He remains best known for his 1935 poem Madhushala and his Hindi translations of Shakespeare's plays. Amitabh's mother, Teji Bachchan, was a social activist and theatre performer who also served as a director of the Film Finance Corporation of India.

The planned dharamshala adds to a body of work Amitabh has already dedicated to his father's memory, including a memorial trust launched in 2013. Once built, the facility is expected to serve as both a tribute to the poet and a practical resource for the steady flow of visitors that Ayodhya continues to draw.

The dharamshala news arrives shortly after the 83-year-old actor pushed back on speculation about his retirement. Writing on his blog, Amitabh criticised reports that had misread an earlier post in which he had written, "it's late, time to retire."

Clarifying the remark, he wrote, "I wrote in the blog .. 'it's late, time to retire .. ' which we all know means retire to bed it's late .. and this is the Media - the 'conscience of a nation — the ultimate informer'! Ji nahin huzoor, main kaam se retire nahin ho raha hoon; Angrezi mein iska matlab hota hai main ab sone jaa raha hoon. Aur wahan maanyavar aapko aane ka nimantran nahin hai."

Translated, the message reads: "No sir, I am not retiring from work any time soon; (retire) in English means going to sleep. And you are not invited there."

On the work front, Amitabh is currently hosting the 18th season of Kaun Banega Crorepati. He is also filming the sequel to Kalki 2898 AD, once again playing Ashwatthama alongside Prabhas and Kamal Haasan, marking his and Kamal Haasan's first on-screen reunion in nearly four decades since Geraftaar.

Between an active television commitment, a major film in production, and now a personal project honouring his father's legacy, Amitabh's schedule offers little sign of the retirement rumours holding any weight.