Phase 1 of the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya is almost complete and the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust expects to finish the entire construction work on the three-storey structure by December 2023 when the temple complex will be opened for devotees.
The Trust showcased the temple work for the first time on Thursday. An official in charge of the construction said 47 layers of concrete were filled after excavation to support the three-storied structure that will come up over 10 acres of land within the temple complex
"After the foundation ceremony, we dug in 40 feet to remove the loose earth and garbage… we did proper compaction there and then poured in the concrete," said project manager Binod Mehta of Larsen and Toubro, the company that is engaged in the construction work.
Each of the 47 layers is one foot in height. The plinth will be 60 feet high, he explained.
Around four lakh cubic feet of stone and marble from Rajasthan will be used for the building which will stand 161 feet over the sanctum sanctorum. No steel or bricks will be used in the construction.
The 360 ftX235 ft structure will have 160 columns on the ground floor, 132 columns on the first floor and 74 columns on the second floor. There will be five mandaps or pavilions.
The temple complex will include a pilgrim facilitation centre, museum, archives, research centre, auditorium, a place for rituals, an administrative building and rooms for priests.
There are also plans to conserve and develop nearby heritage structures like "Kuber Tila" and "Sita Koop".
The construction work had started on August 5 last year with the foundation stone being laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The construction at the site started after the Supreme Court handed it over for a temple in 2019 after decades of litigation.
The Supreme Court had also ruled in its order that the Muslims should be given an alternative plot of land for a mosque.
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