Journalism of Courage
As many as 1,100 workers are busy 24x7 building the Ram temple in Ayodhya installing pillars and arches, carving relief, and polishing surfaces. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)
Construction at the three-storey temple site in Ayodhya is going on at lightning speed. The temple complex is being built over 70 acres.
Bricks bearing special stamps have been supplied by kilns to the temple construction site. (Express Photo by Chitral Khambhati)
The basic structure of the temple stands on 2.77 acres of ‘engineered soil’ foundation that runs 15 metres deep. (Express photo by Chitral Khambhati)
Work on the columns, pillars and arches is being undertaken by sculptors brought from Odisha's Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Balasore. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)
A detailed view of an carved stone kept inside the premises of the Ram Mandir (Ram Janambhoomi Temple) under construction in Ayodhya. (Express photo by Chitral Khambhati)
A detailed view of an carved stone kept inside the premises of the Ram Mandir (Ram Janambhoomi Temple). (Express Photo by Chitral Khambhati)
Veteran bureaucrat Nripendra Mishra, who heads the construction committee of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, visits the site four days a month and takes review meetings every Saturday.(Express photo by Visahl Srivastav)
The temple is expected to be completed in three phases. (Express photo by Chitral Khambhati)
An artist draws design on a pillar inside the Ram Mandir. (Express Photo by Chitral Khambhati)
The first phase, which is expected to be completed by December 2023, includes the seven temples (around Ram) and the ground floor minus the iconography. (Express photo by Chitral Khambhati)
The second phase includes the first and second floors of the temple, which are expected to be done by December 2024. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)
The entire complex is expected to be completed by 2025. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)
Nripendra Mishra, who heads the construction committee of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, said the temple is being designed and built to last 1,000 years. He said the entire process is being documented as a template for engineers of the future. (Express photo by Vishal Srivastav )
The larger temple complex will include several facilities for pilgrims. (Express photo by Vishal Srivastav)
Devotees Offering Prayers at Present Ram Janam Bhoomi Temple in Ayodhya. (Express photo by Vishal Srivastav)
Some highlights of the temple complex, being built over 70 acres, include a rishi-muni complex of seven temples; 98 murals on the lower plinth depicting key events as described in 98 shlokas picked from Valmiki’s Ramayana; the 51-inch Ram Lalla (aged 4-5 years) standing on a lotus, and a perimeter of 730 metres with a temple each on its four corners and a gopuram (a monumental tower at the entrance of a temple that is unique to temple architecture in the south). (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)
The sculptors from Odisha have been assigned to carve images in the spaces left on the sides of the pillars at the entrance leading to the sanctum sanctorum. There are five mandaps – open spaces – around the sanctum sanctorum and the shikhar above the sanctum sanctorum will have a height of 161 feet and 10 inches. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav )
There is no clarity on whether mobile phones will be allowed inside the temple. While the police are against permitting mobile phones inside the temple owing to security concerns. Nripendra Mishra, who heads the construction committee of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, feels phones should be allowed because a visit of a devotee is the chance of a lifetime. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)
