Meet Chandrakant Sompura, Man Who Designed The Ayodhya Ram Temple

Just three days are left for the grand consecration ceremony of the Ram temple, which has been constructed on an area of 2.7 acres in Uttar Pradesh Ayodhya. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be taking part in the inauguration ceremony as the 'yajman' or main host. Along with him, thousands of high-profile guests will attend the ceremony that will be broadcast live to millions around the world. The Ram temple will open for the devotees a day after the "Pran Pratishtha" ceremony (January 23). The temple has been constructed in the traditional Nagar style has a length (east-west) of 380 feet, a width of 250 feet, and a height of 161 feet.

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The architect behind the grand temple, Chandrakant Sompura, spoke to NDTV about his vision and how he designed the temple more than 30 years ago.

"Mr Ashok Singhal (former VHP leader) decided in 1988 that the temple should be constructed here and he reached out to GD Birla. Our family had been working with Mr Birla for decades. So I got a call from Mr Birla and he asked me to come to Delhi, visit Ayodhya with him and prepare the design for the temple," Mr Sompura said.

He said designing the Ram temple was an uphill task 30 years back, as he had to prepare drawings using his footsteps as the unit of measurement.

"At that time, we were not allowed to take measuring tapes. I was told just have a look around alone. It was very difficult for me to envision a temple without proper measurement. So, I used my feet and counted the steps. I remembered all the steps - from left to right, across, and replicated the design inside a big hall where I could take proper measurement," he added.

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The 80-year-old further said that he presented a few plans according to the vision of a grand temple. The final plan was approved and the temple is being constructed according to that, he added.

Mr Sompura comes from a family of temple architects that have designed over 200 such structures.

According to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, the temple is three-storied, with each floor being 20 feet tall. It has a total of 392 pillars and 44 doors. There are five Mandaps or halls, and their names are Nritya Mandap, Rang Mandap, Sabha Mandap, Prarthna and Kirtan Mandaps.

The entry is from the east, and devotees will have to climb 32 stairs through the Singh Dwar. The trust also said that there are provision of ramps and lifts for the convenience of the differently-abled and elderly.

Interestingly, no iron is used anywhere in the temple, claimed the trust.