A temple is emerging in Ayodhya that unites traditional religion with contemporary science in addition to serving as a place of worship. The massive Ram Mandir, a temple devoted to the Hindu deity Lord Rama, is inaugurating on January 22.
Ram Temple’s structure
The Ram Temple was built by Larsen and Toubro under the direction of Tata Consulting Engineers Limited. It is the product of careful planning and avant-garde building methods. The temple’s design, which draws inspiration from traditional Nagara architecture, is built completely of stone rather than more contemporary materials like iron, steel, or even cement. It has 360 pillars. Since stone lasts longer and is more durable than other materials, this choice was made to increase the structure’s resistance to earthquakes.
The architectural plan
The architectural plan was created by Chandrakant Sompura’s Nagar Shaily or northern Indian temple designs. Chandrakant Sompura has been creating historical temple constructions for 15 generations as a family tradition. Over 100 temples have been designed by the family. Mr. Sompura says, “In the annals of architecture, Shri Ram Temple will be the most rarely seen, unique kind of splendid creation ever conceptualized not only in India but at any place on Earth.”
The entire temple area’s soil was first dug up to a depth of fifteen meters. A 1.5-meter-thick M-35-grade metal-free concrete raft was layered as reinforcement on top of this. A plinth made of solid granite taken from southern India that was 6.3 meters thick was positioned there to further fortify the foundation.
The portion of the temple that will be visible to tourists is composed of pink sandstone from Rajasthan known as “Bansi Paharpur” stone. CBRI reports that there are 160 total columns on the ground floor, 132 on the first floor, and 74 on the second floor. The columns are all composed of sandstone and have external carvings. The sanctum sanctorum is adorned with white makrana marble that is extracted from quarries in Rajasthan. By the way, marble from the Makrana mines was also used to build the Taj Mahal.
The foundation of the temple is among the most important examples of scientific ingenuity in building design. A layer of rolled compacted concrete, 15 meters thick, covering 56 layers of fly ash, dust, and chemicals, forms the foundation of the temple. The temple’s structure can withstand earthquakes up to magnitude 6.5 and won’t require repairs for 1,000 years. To create a distinctive foundation for the temple, the researchers assessed the historical seismic intensity in the area extending from Ayodhya to Nepal and replicated it in a laboratory. A granite plinth, 21 feet thick, serves as additional reinforcement for this sturdy base and is intended to keep moisture out of the temple.
By: Gursharan Kaur