Ram Mandir is a Hindu temple built in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in Ram Janmabhoomi, which is believed by Hindus to be the birthplace of God Rama. The construction of the temple will be carried out by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra. The Bhoomi Pujan Festival was held in August 2020 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ancient Indian epic
Hindus believe in Sri Rama as the 7th incarnation of Lord Vishnu. According to the ancient Indian epic Ramayana, Rama was born in Ayodhya. The Mughals in the 16th Century built the Babri Masjid in Ram’s birthplace. Then in the 1850s, a violent conflict arose.
Shri Ram Mandir
In the 1980s, the Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a member of the Hindu nationalist family Sangha Parivar, launched a new movement to reclaim space for Hindus and build a temple dedicated to the child Rama (Ram Lalla) on the site.
In November 1989, the VHP laid the foundation of a temple on land adjacent to the disputed mosque. On December 6, 1992, the VHP and BJP staged a rally of 150,000 volunteers. The rally turned violent, with the crowd drowning security forces and damaging the mosque.
Archaeological excavations in 1978 and 2003 found evidence of the presence of Hindu temple structures at the site by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
It was only after the 2019 Supreme Court judgment on the Ayodhya controversy that it was decided to hand over the disputed land to a trust set up by the Government of India for the construction of the Ram Temple. The foundation was eventually established under the name of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra. Five acres of land was allotted for the mosque, 22 km away in Tanipur village.
Ram Mandir Architecture
The Chief Architect of the temple is Chandrakant Sompura.
He was assisted by his two sons Nikhil Sompura and Ashish Sompura, who are also architects.
A new design, with some changes from the original, was prepared by the Sompuras in 2020, by Vastu shastra and the Shilpa shastras.
The temple will be 235 feet wide, 360 feet long and 161 feet high. Once completed, the temple complex will be the world’s third largest Hindu shrine.
Design
It is designed in the Nagara style of Indian temple architecture. A model of the proposed temple was showcased during the Prayag Kumbh Mela in 2019.
The main structure of the temple will be built on a raised platform and will have three storeys. It will have five mandapas in the middle of the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) and the entry – the three mandapas Kudu, Nritya, and Rang; and two mandapas for the Kirtan and Prarthana on the other side.
In Nagara style, the mandapas are to be decorated with shikhara. The tallest Shikhara will be above the Garbhagriha. This building will have a total of 366 columns and columns will have 16 idols each including the incarnations of Shiva, the Dashavataras, the chausath joginis, and the 12 incarnations of the goddess Saraswati.
The width of the stairs will be 16 feet. In accordance with scriptures dedicated to the design of temples dedicated to Vishnu, the sanctum sanctorum will be octagonal.
The temple will be built on 10 acres and 57 acres of land will be developed into a complex with a prayer hall, “a Ramkatha Kunj (Lecture Hall), a Vaidik Pathshala (educational facility), a Sant Niwas (saints’ residence) and a Yatri Niwas (hostel for visitors) “and other facilities like a museum and a cafeteria.
Somburas played a key role in the temple design of more than 100 temples around the world for at least 15 generations.
The chief architect of the temple is Chandrakanth Sombura. He was assisted by his two sons Nikhil Sombura and Ashish Sombura.
A new design with some modifications from the original, was made in 2020 by Somburas by Vastu Shastra and Shilpa Shastra.
The temple is 235 feet wide, 360 feet long and 161 feet high. The temple complex will be the third largest Hindu temple in the world.
Architecture
It is designed in the Nagara style of Indian temple architecture. The model of the proposed temple was displayed during the Prayag Kumbha Mela in 2019.
The main structure of the temple is built on a raised platform and consists of three floors. It has five halls in the middle of the Karpagriha (Sanctum sanctorum) and the entrance – three halls Gudu, Nirudya and Rang; And two halls on the other side for chanting and prayer.
In Nagara style, the halls should be decorated with Shikara. The tallest Shikara is above the womb. The building will have a total of 366 columns. There will be 16 idols each in the columns to accommodate Shiva, Dasavataras, Chausath Joginis and 12 incarnations of Goddess Saraswati.
The width of the stairs will be 16 feet. According to the verses dedicated to the design of temples dedicated to Vishnu, the sanctum sanctorum is octagonal.
The temple will be built on 10 acres and will be developed on 57 acres of land with a prayer hall, a “Ramkada Kunj (lecture hall), a Vaidik Patshala(education), a Sand Niwas (residence of the saints) and a Yatri Niwas (accommodation for visitors)” and other facilities such as a museum and a restaurant.
Main Ram Temple Construction Resolution
Total Area – 2.7 Acres
Total Built-up Area – 57,400 sq,ft
The total length of the temple – 360 feet
Total width of the temple – 235 feet
Total height of the temple – 161 feet
Floors – 3
Height of each floor – 20 feet
Number of columns on the ground floor of the temple – 160
No. of columns on the first floor of the temple – 132
No. of the columns on the second floor of the temple – 74
Number of gates in the temple – 12
Bhoomi Pujan Ceremony
Construction of the temple officially began on August 5, 2020 after the Bhoomi Pujan. The three-day-long Vedic rites preceded the groundbreaking ceremony of the temple, which revolved around the laying of the foundation stone bywith a 40 kg silver brick by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On August 4, Archana Pujan was performed for Sri Rama.
During the Bhoomi-Pujan event, soil and holy water from many religious places across India, Ganges, Yamuna, Saraswati in Prayagaraj, Cauvery River in Talakaveri, Kamakya Temple in Assam and Triveni Sangam of many rivers were collected.
The soil was also sent from various Hindu temples, gurudwaras and Jain temples across the country to bless the temple to be built. Many of them were Sharda Peeth located in Pakistan.
Temples in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean held a virtual service to celebrate the event.
All 7,000 temples within a 7 km radius of Hanumankari were asked to light the dias and join the festivities.
The Temple Foundation decided to launch a nationwide “mass communication and contribution campaign” to collect donations from across the country.
On January 15, 2021, Indian President Ramnath Govind made the first contribution to the construction of the Ram Mantra by donating $501,000 (the US $7,000).
Official website: Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra
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