Ram Mandir Architecture: A Story Beyond Brick and Mortar

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Ram Mandir Architecture A Story Beyond Brick and
Mortar Article of the Month - Jan 2024 This
article by Anviti Sohla
? Add a Comment The construction of the Ram
Mandir has been completed to a great extent and
the temple is finally nearing the day of its
inauguration. With this development, the eyes of
the entire world are on how the temple is turning
out. It has been going on under the guidance of
Chandrakantbhai Sompura who designed the
Akshardham Temple in Gujarat. He is being
assisted by his two sons Nikhil Sompura and
Ashish Sompura. There are questions about every
aspect of the construction and we have tried to
answer most of them.
Materials Used in the Construction - It seems
like the entire country has come together for the
construction of the temple. The pink sandstone
from Rajasthan was carved by artisans from
Orissa for the main temple complex. The granite
has been brought in from Karnataka. Teakwood of
high quality for the woodwork has been sourced
specially from Maharashtra. In addition to that,
bells that will be part of the temple rituals
came from Tamil Nadu, and the brassware was
procured from Uttar Pradesh. Big names like IIT
and Central Building Research Institute are
associated with the construction of the temple.
In fact, Larsen and Toubro is even offering its
services pro bono.
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Architecture Style and Features - The
architecture of the temple has been influenced
from not just North Indian style but also by the
South Indian style and the design has been done
keeping the guidelines of Vastu Shastra and
Shilpa Shastra in mind. Mainly, the Nagara style
of architecture is being implemented for the
construction of the prestigious Ram Mandir. Many
temples in India have already been constructed
in this style like the Sun Temple in Konark and
the temples of Khajuraho. Along with this, some
elements from the Dravidian style of
architecture have also been taken and will be
reflected in the four temples that will be at the
corners of the main complex. Common features of
the Nagara style of architecture include - A
Garbhagriha which is the main room where the
idols of the main deities are placed for worship,
Mandapa, an assembly hall which is traditionally
supposed to be at the entrance in front of the
garbhagriha, A Shikhara which is a spire at the
top of the temple, A Vahana which is the mount of
the main deity, and A Jagati which is a raised
platform upon which the temple complex is
constructed.
The temple will have 5 mandapas along with one
towering Shikhar. The main deity of the temple
will be Ram Lalla which is the infant form of
Lord Ram. There will also be a 14-feet-wide
percota that will have corners dedicated to Lord
Ganesha, Lord Shiva, Maa Bhagwati, and Surya
Dev. There will be three storeys in the temple
and all of them will have a height of at least 20
feet.
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In addition to that, more than 300 intricately
carved columns will be dedicated to various Gods
and Goddesses, like Lord Vishnu and all of his 10
avatars, Devi Saraswati and all her
incarnations, Lord Hanuman, the different
incarnations of Lord Shiva. Columns will also be
dedicated to sages like Maharishi Valmiki,
Maharishi Vishwamitra, Maharishi Agastya,
Maharishi Vashisht, and Nishadraj the boatman
who helped Lord Ram in crossing river Ganga, and
Mata Shabri who served berries to Lord Ram during
his exile. The ground floor has over 150 pillars
and exquisitely intricate carvings are done on
each pillar. A very beautiful addition to the
temple will be the lower plinth which will
feature depictions from the Ramayana.
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All of this will be part of the main temple
complex which will be constructed in 10 acres.
The area surrounding this will be spread across
57 acres. The sprawling complex will be very
spacious and it will be able to accommodate at
least 70,000 devotees at a time which is quite
impressive number. Striking Features About the
Construction Process - A notable feature is that
iron is not being used at all in the construction
process. Even the binding of stones is being done
by copper plates. More than two lakh bricks
collected from all over India almost thirty years
ago, with Sri Ram engraved on them, have been
used in the foundation. The use of modern
materials like carbon fiber and steel has been
avoided completely. The reason why steel has been
avoided is because it is prone to corrosion and
is not very durable.
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Challenges faced in the construction of Ram
Mandir - The soil was loose because of the river
Sarayu flowing next to the land. This prevented
the foundation of the temple from being solid. To
overcome this the sand was removed completely
and the empty area was filled with a mixture of
concrete to create a foundation that was strong
and sturdy. This concrete mixture was created
without any use of iron.
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Another challenge faced was that while the
architects wanted to build the Ram Mandir along
the lines of the architecture of ancient temples,
they did not have any blueprints of their
designs. The architects did not have any written
guidelines to follow. They had to come up with
new designs and details based on their existing
knowledge. Wrapping Up -
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From the style of architecture being inspired by
ancient temples to the exclusion of the use of
modern materials, the Ayodhya Ram Mandir is
connected to the roots of India in every aspect
of its construction. It is an architectural
marvel that has already made its place in the
hearts of millions of people who wait for its
inauguration with bated breath. Add a
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