An ancient faith and contemporary science are coming together at this temple in Ayodhya, which is growing beyond just a place of worship. On January 22, a grand building project called the Ram Mandir—a temple devoted to the Hindu deity Lord Rama—is scheduled to be dedicated.
Built to not just survive the worst earthquakes and flooding, but to last a millennium, the temple is a marvel of contemporary engineering. Examine the materials used in the construction of the magnificent temple. With management provided by Tata Consulting Engineers Limited, the Ram Temple was built by Larsen and Toubro through careful planning and avant-garde construction methods.
Inspired by traditional Nagara architecture, the temple’s design features 360 pillars and is built entirely of stone, a departure from more contemporary materials like iron, steel, or even cement. Stone is more durable and has a longer lifespan than other materials, so this decision was made to increase the structure’s resistance to earthquakes.
The foundation of the temple is among the most important examples of scientific innovation in building design. A layer of rolled compacted concrete, 15 meters thick, covering 56 layers of fly ash, dust, and chemicals, forms the foundation of the temple.
A granite plinth, 21 feet thick, serves as additional reinforcement for this sturdy base and is intended to keep moisture out of the temple. The pillars of the foundation, which guarantee the temple’s stability in the event of a seismic earthquake, are compared to those that sustain enormous bridges across powerful rivers.
A unique challenge encountered during the construction process was keeping the temperature of the self-compacting concrete at eighteen degrees below the surrounding air temperature while it was being poured. This was accomplished by using on-site ice crushing plants and filling the foundation only at night to reduce the effect of outside temperatures.
These steps were just a few of the numerous innovations that characterized the temple’s construction, which called for thousands of workers and the skills of 150 engineers.
The temple’s design is expected to last for a millennium and can withstand earthquakes up to a magnitude of 6.5. To create a special foundation for the temple, the team measured the magnitude of past earthquakes in the area extending from Ayodhya to Nepal and replicated them in a lab.
Engineers removed the top 15 meters of soil, which is thought to be clayey, based on the Indian Institute of Technology’s advice in Chennai. After that, the modified soil was added to it. With 47 layers meticulously laid during construction, the re-engineered soil used for the foundation can harden into stone in as little as 14 days.
The director of the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) at CISR-Roorkee commended the use of stone in the temple’s construction, pointing out that it is more durable than other materials and does not rust like iron. The level on which the temple is being built is safe from future flooding, according to engineers’ examination of the area’s flooding records.
In addition, the temple has a unique noon reflection mechanism that CBRI created. This mechanism enhances the spiritual experience of devotees by shining sunlight onto the foreheads of the idols during Ram Navami.
Link to article –
Ram Mandir: Know why new Ayodhya temple wouldn’t need repairs before 1,000 years
