The Ayodhya Ram temple: 4 mandirs at each corner, 5 mandaps and emphasis on green cover

The temple is being built in the Nagara style of temple architecture and the idol of Ram Lalla will be placed in the sanctum sanctorum. The Shri Ram Darbar will be on the first floor and there will be five mandaps (halls) — Nritya Mandap, Rang Mandap, Sabha Mandap, Prarthana Mandap and Kirtan Mandap.

Statues of deities will adorn the pillars and walls and there will be mandirs at four corners of the compound dedicated to Surya, Bhagwati, Ganesh, Shiv. On northern and southern arms, temples to Annapurna and Hanuman will be built respectively. Besides these, temples of Maharshi Valmiki, Vashishtha, Vishwamitra, Agastya, Nishad Raj, Shabri etc have also been proposed in the complex.

Construction work underway at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir. (Express photo by Chitral Khambhati)

The foundation of the temple has been built with a 14-metre-thick layer of roller-compacted concrete, giving it the appearance of an artificial rock. A 21-foot-high granite plinth has been placed to protect against ground moisture and no iron has been used anywhere.

Ramps and lifts for the elderly and differently abled devotees have also been built with a separate block in the complex with a bathing area and washrooms. There will also be a pilgrims facility centre for 25,000 people with medical and locker facilities.

Great emphasis has also been given on environmental and water conservation, with 70% of the 70-acre area being left green.

The temple is being built in the Nagara style of temple architecture and the idol of Ram Lalla will be placed in the sanctum sanctorum.

Makrana marble and pink sandstone from Rajasthan, granite stone from Tamil Nadu and Telangana, and coloured marble from Mandla in Madhya Pradesh have been used for the construction, officials of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust entrusted with building the structure had said.

The pink sandstone measuring 4.7 lakh cubic feet from Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district has been used in the main temple structure, 17,000 granite stones in the plinths, and the white Makrana and coloured marbles were used for the inlay work, it is learnt.

Also, teakwood procured from the Balarshah and Allapalli forest ranges of Maharashtra has been used in 44 doors of the temple, including 14 which will have gold-plating work, the officials said.

Trust project manager Jagdish Aphale had said that they studied 550 temples across India to find the best possible construction models. (Express photo by Chitral Khambhati)

The temple complex will have its own sewage and water treatment plants, fire service, and an independent power station, Trust secretary Champat Rai had said, adding that experts from IITs in Delhi, Guwahati, Chennai and Bombay; NIT Surat; Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee; National Geo Research Institute, Hyderabad and the National Institute of Rock Mechanics worked together to give the final shape to the temple.

The temple is being built in the Nagara style of temple architecture. (Express Photo by Chitral Khambhati)

More than 4,000 workers, including 460 craftsmen, have been working round the clock to ready the temple’s ground floor for the consecration ceremony.

Trust project manager Jagdish Aphale had said that they studied 550 temples across India to find the best possible construction models. “The temple premises can accommodate 1,500 people at a time. After studying the damage to some old temples in Mathura and Kashi due to lightning strikes, it was decided to install 200KA light arresters over the temple structure, which has been tested for the first time in India. As pilgrims take parikrama of the temple, the walkways and columns have been engraved with 100 events from Valmiki’s Ramayana and would include Ram Katha Darshan,” said Aphale, who is also in-charge of pilgrimage management.

The bricks being used in the construction of the temple have ‘Shri Ram’ engraved on them. (Express Photo by Chitral Khambhati)

The run-up to the consecration ceremony:

January 16: Vishnu Puja and gau daan at Saryu embankment

January 17: Ram Lalla idol will be taken for Shobha Yatra or nagar bhraman with the eyes shut. Water from Saryu will be taken to the temple in a kalash.

January 18: Prayers to Ganesh and Varun, other rituals, and chanting of mantras at the temple

January 19: Nau grah shanti hawan at temple site to please all planets

January 20: Sanctum sanctorum to be washed with Saryu water, prayers to be held for vaastu shanti

January 21: Ram Lalla’s throne to be washed with Saryu water in 125 kalashas

January 22: Prayers and rituals, followed by Pran Pratistha at Abhijeet Muhurt