New Delhi: The magnificent temple in Ayodhya dedicated to Ram Lalla, or the infant Lord Ram, is a true example of traditional Indian heritage architecture that has been built using science to ensure its longevity.
According to Shri Nripendra Misra, the head of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Ayodhya, “the temple has been made to last more than a thousand years.”
He claims that leading scientists in India have helped to transform it into an iconic structure unlike any other. In the temple, even ISRO technologies have been used appropriately.
The architectural plan was created in accordance with Chandrakant Sompura’s Nagar Shaily or northern Indian temple designs. Chandrakant Sompura has been creating heritage temple structures for 15 generations as a family tradition. Over 100 temples have been designed by the family.
Mr. Sompura states, “In the annals of architecture Shri Ram Temple will be the rarely seen, unique kind of splendid creation ever conceptualized not only in India but at any place on Earth.”
The total temple area is 2.7 acres and the built-up area is about 57,000 square feet it will be a three-floor structure, says Nripendra Misra. He says that no iron or steel has been used in the temple since the life of iron is merely 80-90 years. The height of the temple will be 161 feet or about 70% of the height of the Qutab Minar.
“The very best quality granite, sandstone, and marble has been used and there is no use of cement or lime mortar in the joints, only a lock and key mechanism using groves and ridges has been used in the construction of the entire structure”, says Dr Pradeep Kumar Ramancharla, Director of the Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee who has been actively involved in the construction project. CBRI says the structural design of 3 floored structures has been done to resist an earthquake of the return period of 2,500 years.
According to Mr. Misra, an investigation revealed that the ground beneath the temple was unstable and sandy because the Sarayu River once flowed close by, which presented a unique problem. However, the scientists came up with a brilliant fix for this issue.
The entire temple area’s soil was first dug up to a depth of fifteen meters. According to Ramancharla, “An engineered soil was laid in the area to a depth of 12-14 meters, no steel re-bars were used, and the 47 layered bases were compacted to make it solid rock-like.”
On top of this, a 1.5 meter thick M-35 grade metal-free concrete raft was laid as a reinforcement. To further strengthen the foundation a plinth of 6.3 meter thick solid granite stone extracted from southern India was placed.
The part of the temple that will be visible to visitors is made up of pink sandstone called ‘Bansi Paharpur’ stone extracted from Rajasthan. According to CBRI, the total number of columns on the ground floor is 160, the first floor 132, and the second floor 74, these are all made of sandstone and carved on the outside. The decorated sanctum sanctorum is lined with white makrana marble quarried from Rajasthan. Incidentally, the Taj Mahal was made using marble from the Makrana mines.
“After analyzing around 50 computer models, the chosen model, preserving the Nagara style of architecture, ensures both performance and architectural integrity. Proposed modifications enhance the structure’s architecture while maintaining safety against a 2500-year return period earthquake. Notably, the dry-jointed structure designed for a 1000-year lifespan consists solely of interlocked stone, without steel reinforcement,” CBRI says.
The institute has been involved in the construction of Ram Mandir since early 2020 and has contributed the following in a project mode: structural design of the main temple; design of the ‘Surya Tilak’ mechanism; design vetting of the temple foundation, and structural health monitoring of the main temple.
Dr Sharda Srinivasan, an archaeologist specializing in heritage metals working at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru says “The traditional style of temple architecture in earlier periods was of the dry masonry and remarkably used no mortar nor any iron and steel, (although of course in later periods such as in the 12th century Konarak temple the use of numerous structural iron beams is seen as well as iron dowels in some temples). The Mortis and Tenon method of joining rocks was used traditionally to hold blocks together i.e. with interlocking grooves and pegs, and the use of the trabeate system of lintels spanning columns with horizontal beams was used. The carved columns often monolithic, had a more swollen capital to bear the vertical loads, while the shikara was built by the corbelling technique with lintels and going progressively inwards to form a more pyramidal shape. These aspects are also seen in the colossal feat of the sandstone Ram Temple, while sandstone also has a better tensile strength amongst stones to support the trabeate structure.”
Ramancharla asserts “The temple may have a heritage architecture as its base, but most modern finite element analysis, most sophisticated software tools, and the 21st century building codes are what define the Ram Temple.”
“There can be no doubts that based on the current state of the art knowledge the Ram Mandir will surely survive more than a thousand years,” explains Ramancharla who adds “It was a most enjoyable experience and great learning exercise as such challenges come maybe once in a lifetime.”
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