The consecration ceremony of Ayodhya's Ram temple was held on January 22. Chandrakant B Sompura, 81, and his son Ashish, 51, designed the temple complex in Nagara style architecture.
Sompura, the principal architect of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir, was first approached to design and build the temple in 1989 by Ashok Singhal, President of VHP (Vishva Hindu Parishad).
He was sent to Ayodhya to observe the site and take measurements of the space. Owing to heavy security, he had to measure the space with his feet and crafted three designs based on these dimensions. Decades later, his two sons, Nikhil and Ashish Sompura, have assisted him in the creation of the Ram Mandir.
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The Ram Temple’s architecture
The temple, constructed in the Nagara style, stands on a solid stone foundation. Approximately two lakh bricks inscribed with Lord Ram's name in various languages, collected over 30 years, are integrated into the temple structure.
The temple stands on a 12-foot jagati and an upper plinth known as the mahapeeth. The stepped shikharas rise high over the five mandapas and the one over the garba griha is the tallest at 161 feet. The kuda mandapa is three stories high. There will be 300 pillars across the mandapas and 44 teak doors.
The foundation of the Mandir has been constructed with a 14-meter-thick layer of roller-compacted concrete (RCC), giving it the appearance of artificial rock.
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No iron is used anywhere in the Mandir. For protection against ground moisture, a 21-foot-high plinth has been constructed using granite.
The Mandir complex has a sewage treatment plant, water treatment plant, water supply for fire safety and an independent power station. The Mandir has been constructed employing the country's traditional and indigenous technology.
“The doors on the ground floor are gold plated,” Ashish Sompura said. The granite stones have been sourced from Karnataka and Telangana while pink sandstone has been sourced from Bans Paharpur in Rajasthan.
The entire Ram Mandir premises spreads across 70 acres, of which the temple and the complex occupy 5.5 acres. “Initially, it was thought that we have to create a boundary or perkota which is kind of a protective boundary wall for the safety of the temple,” Ashish notes.
“Instead, the Trust and us decided to have a Vishnu Panchayatan where five temples, of Hanuman, Durga, Ganesha, Shiva, and Surya, will be there. On the northern side of the temple where Sita’s Rasoi was there (it got destroyed during the Babri Masjid demolition), we have made a kitchen where Lord Ram’s bhog will be made and there is also an Annapurneshwari Temple. So, there will be six temples in all apart from the Ram Mandir."
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The Nagara Style of architecture
The Nagara style emerged in North India around the late Gupta period. Typically, temples made in this style of architecture are built on a raised platform along with the sanctum sanctorum, above which stands the most distinguished feature of the Nagara style — the shikhara (meaning mountain peak). Most Nagara-style temples have murals and engravings adorning the walls and have a circumambulatory passage surrounding the sanctum sanctorum (where the deity is kept).
One must note here though, straying away from Nagara architecture, a 732-metre-long wall has been built around the Ram Mandir complex. In most authentic Nagara-style temples, a distinctive boundary wall such as a gopuram, is usually absent.
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