Ram Mandir construction update: Garbha Griha work on track to be completed by Dec 2023 - Detail Report

Ram Mandir construction update: The construction work of Ram Temple (Ram Mandir) - a three-storey temple with Garbh Griha and five Mandadapas - is proceeding as per schedule in Ayodhya. Nripendra Misra, former Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and now Chairman of Shri Ram Temple Construction Committee confirmed that it is all systems go with the first phase set to be completed by December 2023.

He said, "Our first phase completion target is December 2023 when we expect Garbha Griha or the placing of the Shri Ram deity as part of the Pran Prathistan to be rolled out. The construction of the plinth with granite stone started in February 2022 and should be completed by this August. About 17,000 stones of size 5ft x 2.5 ft x 3 ft will be used in the construction of the plinth. The best quality stone is being procured from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh."

Here is a progress report of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir by Nripendra Mishra (IAS), Chairman, Construction Committee and Champat Rai General Secretary.

• Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is the contractor for construction of the temple and Parkota (ramparts). Tata Consultant Engineers (TCE) is the project management consultants (appointed by the SRJBTK Trust) and four engineers Jagdish Aphale, Pune, IIT- Mumbai, Girish Sahastrabhujani, Goa, IIT-Mumbai, Jagannathji Aurangabad, Avinash Sangamnerkar Nagpur are also working voluntarily on behalf of the Trust.
• On August 05, 2020, PM Modi performed Puja at the Garbhgrih (sanctum sanctorum) site of the future temple.
• L&T proposed a design for the foundation of the future temple. The trial was conducted, but the results were not up to the mark. So the idea was dropped. It was done in August-Sept-Oct, 2020.
• In November 2020, an expert committee was formed under the chairmanship of Director (Rtd), IIT Delhi. Other members of the committee were Director (present)-IIT-Guwahati, Director (present) NIT, Surat, Professors from IITs of Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, Director-CBRI-Roorkee, Senior Engineers on behalf of L&T and TCE were also the members of this expert committee.

Workers during the last phase of the foundation work of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

• The committee also suggested one proposal, but all were not unanimous on that also. So the suggestion was also dropped. This committee was created on the initiative of Shri Nripendra Mishra (IAS), Chairman, Construction Committee.
• GPR Survey – In November 2020, the National Geo Research Institute (NGRI)-Hyderabad was requested to study the ground at the site and provide report that may help to decide the design of foundation. The NGRI conducted geo-analysis using GPR technique and suggested open excavation of the area. This GPR Survey was conducted in Nov-Dec 2020.
• Basic Excavation - A volume of about 1.85 lakh cubic meter of stratified culturo- civilizational debris and old loose soil was removed from about six acres of land, including and surrounding the earmarked Temple site. This work took about 3 months (Jan-Feb-Mar 2021). The site looked like a vast open cut mine—large Pit with a depth of 14 meters at Garbhgrih and 12 metres around it.
• Back-filling & soil strengthening, Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) work: IIT professors of Chennai suggested special engineering mix design for back-filling this huge pit. The suggested method of RCC was pouring specially prepared lean concrete--layer by layer. One raw layer of 12 inches was compacted by a heavy-duty 10T roller down to 10 inches.
• The compaction density was critically measured–along 56 layers at the Garbhgrih and 48 layers in the rest of the area. It took about 6 months to complete (Apr 2021 to Sept 2021). The said filling system was named ‘land improvement by soil strengthening.’
• Man-Made Bedrock – It may be said that a mammoth man-made rock within the soil has been created – to ensure longevity and stability of the underpinning for at least 1,000 years.
• PCC RAFT - On the top of the 14 metres thick underground RCC, another 1.5 meter thick Self-Compacted Concrete RAFT (about 9,000 cubic meters in volume) of higher load- bearing capacity was poured in segments of size 9MtrX9Mtr using multi-batching plants, boom placer machines & mixers in four months (Oct 2021 - Jan 2022).

The stones that to be laid for the foundation of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The foundation work of the temple is nearing completion.

• A Professor from IIT-Kanpur and one senior engineer associated with a nuclear reactor also contributed at this stage of RAFT construction.
• Both the RCC and the RAFT thereafter combined, will act as the foundation bedrock and supporting foundation of the future Temple super-structure. It is the result of the collective wisdom of the key engineering institutes and organizations of the country. This RAFT took four months to complete (Oct 21-Jan 2022).
• Plinth Work - The temple plinth/pedestal heightening work started on Jan 24, 2022 and it is still in progress. The plinth will be raised up to a height 6.5 meters above the top of the RAFT. Granite stone blocks from Karnataka and Telangana are being used to heighten the plinth. One block is 5ft in length, 2.5ft in width and 3ft in height. About 17,000 granite blocks will be used in this plinth work. The plinth heightening work may be completed by the end of September 2022.
• Very soon the installation of carved sandstones will commence at and around the sanctum sanctorum. The plinth work and the installation of the carved stones will continue simultaneously. Pink sandstones from the hills of Bansi-Paharpur area in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan are being used in the Mandir construction. About 4.70 lakh cubic feet of carved stones will be used in the Mandir. The carved stones have started arriving in Ayodhya from the carving site at Pindwara town of district Sirohi in Rajasthan.
• Inside the Garbhgrih area of the Mandir, white marbles from the Makrana hills of Rajasthan will be used. Carving of Makrana white marbles is in progress and some lots of these carved marble blocks have also started reaching Ayodhya.
• Parkota - covered Outer Parikrama Marg - The Mandir and its courtyard (covering a total of 8 acres of land including the Mandir construction area of 2.7 acres) will be surrounded by a rectangular single/double-storied parikrama passage Parkota & Entrance gates (Parkota--Rectangular size, about 800 running meters in circumferential length). It will also be built of sandstone.
• The Mandir Parikrama Marg (pilgrim circumambulation path) has 18ft high Parkota passage & will be 14ft wide. Approx. 8-9 lakh cubic feet of stone will materialize this Parkota.
• Total stone volume - In this Mandir project, the quantity of stones to be used is about 8 to 9 lakh cubic feet for Parkota (carved sandstone), 6.37 lakh cu.ft. for plinth (un-carved granite), about 4.70 lakh cubic feet for Mandir (carved pink sandstone) and 13,300 cu.ft. Makrana white carved marble for sanctum sanctorum construction and 95,300 square feet for flooring and cladding.

A view of the ongoing construction work of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The foundation work of the temple is nearing completion.

• Retaining Wall - Simultaneous construction of the Reinforced Retaining Wall on the West, South and North is also going on to prevent soil erosion around the Mandir and also protect from future possible Sarayu floodings. It is essential to note that there is a difference of 10mtrs in levels from the East to West side of Mandir. The west side is sloping down to the East.
• Presently all the activities are in progress simultaneously, e.g., installation of granite blocks for plinth and of carved pink sandstone blocks around sanctum sanctorum, carving work of pink sandstones at Pindwara, carving of Makrana marbles and RCC retaining wall construction on the South, West and North sides of the Mandir, etc. The entire work will also prove to be an engineering marvel.
• A pilgrim facility centre (PFC) - (Darshanaarthi Management) shall provide essential facilities to about 25,000 pilgrims in the first phase & will be built near the Mandir Approach road on the east side.
• Temples of Bhagwan Valmiki Rishi, Kewat, Mata Shabari, Jatayu, Mata Sita, Vighneshwar (Ganesh) and Sheshavatar (Lakshman) are also in planning and will be built in the surrounding area of the 8-acre temple within its total 70-acre complex.

Dimensions of the Temple

• Length on ground floor in east-west direction – 380 ft.
• Width on ground floor in north-south direction – 250 ft.
• Height of the Shikhar (pinnacle) from ground at Garbhgrih (sanctum) – 161 ft
• Usually, every month the construction committee along with all the engineers and architects sits for 2 to 3 days under the chairmanship of Nripendra Mishraji and discusses very minutely on each and every detail.
• CB Sompura, Ahmedabad is the architect for the temple and Parkota while Shri Jay Kaktikar (Design Associates, NOIDA) is the architect for the rest of the area outside the ramparts of the 8-acre presiding temple area.
• The construction of RJB Mandir is a historic work to protect, preserve and promote the cause of cultural nationalism based on holistic, altruistic and syncretic Rishi- Krishi Kulaachaar (culture). That will, at the end of the day, ensure the national unity and territorial integrity of the country. The future generations will look at it as the pioneering and spearheading development for cultural independence and national reconstruction.

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