With the hoisting of the religious flag, the Ram Janmabhoomi temple was completely ready and people talked a lot about its movement, there was a lot of talk about the politics regarding it, there was also talk about Ramkathas and there was also talk about faith. Conversations took place, songs were sung, joy was expressed. But there is one more point which all Indians should know. And why only Indians, people all over the world should know and understand. Religion and faith have their place, but its architecture, its structure, its design – everything really needs to be understood, studied. Big civil and structural engineering and architecture experts from all over the world are studying it and will continue to do so for centuries, so you understand. This much you know that the construction of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya has been completed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the 191 feet high saffron religious flag on the peak of the temple. The general public just thinks that the temple is a symbol of faith, but there is a need to pay attention to the scientific thinking behind it.
First of all look at the design of the temple. There is an ancient style of temple design in North India, which is called Nagara style. This temple is also built in Nagar style. So what is Nagara style? In Nagara style temple the shikhara is very high and pointed. As one goes higher, the peak becomes sharper and on the top of the peak there is a round stone, which is called Amlak. The Kalash is kept on top of it. In ancient times, this Kalash was made of gold and silver. There are round stones and urns on every peak of the Ram temple, and now the religious flag has also been hoisted on the highest peak. So Nagar style is identified by Shikhar. And the second main point which is in Nagara style is that in this the sanctum sanctorum is square. If you have seen the temples of South India, the sanctum sanctorum in them is rectangular, whereas in Nagar style it is square. Similarly, the sanctum sanctorum in Ram temple is square.
Why is the temple higher than the ground?
And in Nagar style, there are designs like flowers rotating in circles on the ceiling inside the sanctum sanctorum. These are called ‘Kund’ or ‘Padma’. And according to Vastu, the face of the temple is kept towards the east, so that the rays of sunrise fall directly on the temple. Now the question is that even at sunrise, the position of the sun keeps shifting throughout the year. The temple will not shift. So the Ram Janmabhoomi temple has been designed in such a way that the sun’s rays fall directly on Ramlala on the day of Ram Navami. After very precise calculations, this direction of the temple was decided.
That is, Nagar style means – a temple built on a high platform, which has to be climbed, and whose main peak is pointed, so when seen from below the entire temple seems as if it is trying to touch the sky. This style has been prevalent since the Gupta period, i.e. 5th century. The main shikhara in Ram temple is 128 feet high and there are three big shikhara in total. The entire temple is 360 feet long, 235 feet wide and 161 feet high. You must be aware that it has three storeys, each floor is 20 feet high.
It has 392 pillars and 44 doors. There are carvings of gods, flowers, animals and stories from Ramayana on every pillar and wall. The temple was designed by the Sompura family, who have been expert temple builders for 15 generations. Chandrakant Sompura made the first design in 1988. His sons updated it in 2020.
Now let’s come to the layout of the temple.
Its layout is based on the five elements – earth, water, fire, air and sky. So how is that? Meaning, the north-east corner of the temple has been kept open so that the flow of air and water remains open. There are not only spiritual reasons for this but also from engineering point of view it reduces the risk of floods. Along with the Nagar style, some elements of the Dravidian style of South India have also been included in the temple. Like the carvings inspired by the temples of Rameshwaram and Tirupati. Because Shri Ram belongs to the whole of India, hence the design is also pan-Indian.
Modern BIM technology was also used to create this design. BIM means Building Information Modeling. Meaning, a 3D model was prepared before construction. That means the entire temple was built and checked on the computer. That means the place of every stone was decided in advance.
Now let us come to the main point of construction i.e. construction material. No iron or steel was used in it at all. Why? Because the lifespan of iron is only 80–90 years, it can rust due to moisture. Ram temple has been designed in such a way that it lasts for 1000 years.
Specially selected stones for the temple…
In earthquakes, this stone is more flexible than metal, because it absorbs vibrations. That’s why it was chosen. Apart from this, there are ‘Ram Shila’ – that is, those special bricks on which ‘Shri Ram’ is written. These are made of lime and clay, which are strengthened by ancient methods.
But the special thing is how the stones have been joined. No cement is used. ‘Lock and key’ technique has been used to join the stones. Meaning, just like children make models by adding blocks. The stones have been interlocked. So that they will not fall apart if shaken in an earthquake. Nor will the joints ever break, because the stones are locked together—like some tiles that fit into each other. This is also a technology that has come from our ancient craftsmanship, but it has been perfected with modern engineering. This makes the entire structure as strong as a rock.
Understand how the foundation was built
- Now let us come to its most interesting part – i.e. the foundation. The soil of Ayodhya is challenging. Being near the Saryu River, the water level is high and the top layer of the earth there is clayey soil. Heavy structures on such soils may become unstable. So the experts of IIT Chennai advised to dig to a depth of 15 meters. 1,32,219 cubic meters of soil was taken out during the excavation. Then artificial foundation was created.
- A 14–15 m thick layer of roller-compacted concrete was built – that is, a 14–15 m RCC foundation. This is a layer of concrete made of fly ash, soil and chemicals, which is hardened by pressing with a roller. Its 54 to 56 layers have been installed in the foundation. Its ‘compressive strength’ is more than 60 N/mm². Meaning it can bear 60 kg weight per square millimeter.
- A 21 feet thick granite plinth has been installed on top of this foundation, which protects it from moisture. That means this foundation can last for 1000 years. And it will easily bear the weight of lakhs of tons of the temple.
- And the power to withstand earthquakes is the biggest scientific achievement of Ram Temple. It can withstand an earthquake of 8 magnitude. It is estimated that an earthquake of magnitude 8 may occur in this area once in 2500 years. So it has been designed in such a way that even if an earthquake of magnitude 8 occurs, nothing will happen to the temple. For this, the scientific institute CSIR-CBRI studied historical earthquakes from Nepal to Ayodhya and then ran simulations in the lab. Then this design was made.
How did the strength to withstand earthquake vibrations come about?
- The interlocking of stones distributes the earthquake’s vibration, so that the force of the vibration is not limited to one place. There is no steel in it, so there is no fear of rust. The foundation is so deep that earthquake waves cannot come from below. To protect from floods, the platform is high and its drainage system is such that water will not accumulate.
- The total area is 70 acres, of which 70% will be open and green. Larsen & Toubro company made it, Tata Consulting engineers helped with 3D technology. The special thing is that each stone was placed by giving a number – just like children place blocks in block toys.
It will still stand as grand even after 1000 years
So you also understand and know. And if someone talks about the big buildings of the world, then you should proudly tell how this temple is just a confluence of ancient knowledge and modern science. We will not be there but even after 1000 years it will stand as grand and will keep telling the world how Aastha had built this unique temple. It is not just said that everything happened by the grace of Ramji. to cut a long story short.
