Journalism of Courage
Preparations for the Ram mandir bhoomi poojan in Ayodhya, scheduled for August 5, are on in full swing, with the city being painted in yellow.
The new design was finalised in a meeting of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, the body formed to facilitate construction of Ram temple, on July 18.
The height of the temple has been increased from 141 to 161 feet, said Chandrakant Sompura, the patriarch of the family-run firm, ‘C B Sompura, Temple Architects’, which is at the helm of the Ram temple project.
In the new design, three domes have been added — one in front, and two at the sides. The number of columns have gone up from about 160 to 366; and the width of the stairway has been expanded from 6 feet to 16 feet.
The sanctum sanctorum will be octagonal in keeping with the design by shastras for temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
Four other shrines dedicated to Sita, Lakshman, Ganesh and Hanuman, and other deities, will be part of the complex.
While the original design would have used up to 3 lakh cubic feet of sandstone, that will now have to be doubled.
The VHP had outsourced the building of the temple to three contractors, who have now been replaced by Larsen & Toubro.
The bhoomi poojan will include chanting of mantras, and after shovelling the earth, worship of the ground and the shila. As per officials in Ayodhya, a 22.60 kg brick made of pure silver will be used for the bhoomi poojan ceremony.
