Sooraj Yadav, 19, is one of 700 workers at the 71-acre construction site of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He has a history though that many others may not: his father, Raj Kishore Yadav, was one of thousands of kar sevaks (volunteers) who razed the 16th century Babri Masjid in the belief that it had been built on the spot the Hindu god Ram was born. “It feels good that such a big temple is being made and I am a part of it,” he says, standing beside tower cranes, overwhelmed that he is taking what his father had started, ‘forward’.
Work on the temple began after Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone in August 2020. In its 2019 judgment, the Supreme Court had said that the Muslim community was wrongfully deprived of its mosque. However, the religious minority did not have exclusive title and possession of the land in Ayodhya.
The aim is to finish the first storey of the main structure by the end of 2023, so people can begin worship. Mr. Yadav pats the concrete forming the steps with his screed. Once it is smooth, pink Rajasthan sandstone will cover it.
Sooraj Yadav, a worker at the construction site. | Photo Credit: MOORTHY RV
Over 13,000 cubic metres of this stone has been procured from Bansi Paharpur in Bharatpur district, and about 50% of the carving has been completed, most of it in Ayodhya itself, at the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) karyashala (workshop). Work has been going on since 1992, the year the mosque fell and designs for a temple were drawn up.
“In 1992, when Mr. [C.B.] Sompura was contracted, the concept of the Ram Temple was not the same; it was very small then,” says Nripendra Misra, chairman of the Ram Temple Construction Committee, referring to the architect who runs a temple design firm in Gujarat. Mr. Sompura’s family had built the Somnath Temple in the State, as well as the Krishna Janmabhoomi Temple in Mathura.
“Everything has changed now because of the judgment of the Supreme Court,” says Mr. Misra, adding that not even in their dreams had they conceived of such a large temple. Formerly the Principal Secretary to Mr. Modi, he believes that this assignment is a “divine calling”.
Visitors can find the model of the temple in a room at Karsevak Puram, a cluster of buildings that house a variety of offices, including that of the VHP headquarters. The ‘museum’ also has a photograph of the late Ashok Singhal, who headed the VHP for more than 20 years, alongside pictures of gods and goddesses.
The international working president of the VHP today, Alok Kumar, says that 65 crore people have contributed ₹3,500 crore to the project. “This is going to be one of the biggest spiritual centres of the world.”
Workers carving stones for the Ram Temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. | Photo Credit: MOORTHY RV
Daily grind
The young men at the construction site — both labourers and artisans — are from States across north India: Tara Chand from Rajasthan, Jitendra Singh from Madhya Pradesh, Manish Sompura from Gujarat, Sanjeev Bhardwaj from Delhi. They work from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., earning ₹700 daily, and then ₹90 for every hour of work overtime.
Mr. Yadav, who dropped out of Class XII, sat at home for two years before this job came his way. “Mann nahin lagta padhne mein (My mind is not attuned to studying),” he says. He travels 15 km from Katra village to Ayodhya city daily, and it has been eight months since he’s been on site.
Hrithik Kumar, 20, is another worker, here to fund his undergraduate studies. “We all hail from different places, but we have one thing in common: we are all part of history in the making. The faith of the Hindus lies here,” says Mr. Kumar, clad in the secular uniform of a construction site: boots, helmet, fluorescent jacket.
“Jai Shri Ram,” shout the workers behind him, as they toil in the strong winter sun that deceives with its fleeting warmth.
The Ram Mandir will sit on 2.77 acres, rise to a height of 49 metres, and will have three floors, each almost 6 metres high. | Photo Credit: MOORTHY RV
Promised for delivery
Of the land designated for the temple complex, the Ram Mandir will sit on 2.77 acres, rise to a height of 49 metres, and will have three floors, each almost 6 metres high. This will include six parts: the main sanctum sanctorum (garbha griha) that was inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in August 2022, and five mandaps (pavilions).
The members of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, a trust set up for the construction and management of the temple by the Central government in February 2020, are clear that the temple should have a life of at least 1,000 years. “For this, certain precautions have been taken. For example, no steel is being used. Why? Because steel has a life of 94 years. The entire temple is made of stone,” says Mr. Misra.
Construction and design are being led by Larsen & Toubro along with Tata Consulting Engineers. Technical expertise is also being given by some of India’s top institutes, including the IITs. C.R. Indumati, who heads architecture and urban planning at Tata Consulting Engineers, is working on a part of the design for the complex. She calls it a “prestigious landmark project” that she’s privileged to be a part of. “As an architecture student, I studied the different styles of temple architecture in our country, but being involved in this live project is a totally different experience,” she says.
In the complex, there will also be temples dedicated to other gods, goddesses and sages like Valmiki, Viswamitra and Vashisth. Also planned are areas for yagnas (sacrifices), a rest house for religious leaders, an administrative building, and various facilities for pilgrims. The complex has a zero discharge goal.
Members of the trust say that work has begun on a film focusing on the history of the land and the construction of the temple. Actor Amitabh Bachchan has been requested to narrate the story, and a committee, comprising people from the cultural space, has been formed to oversee the film from script to final product.
While the teams work on the technical aspects of building on the banks of a river (Saryu), and the on-ground reality of dealing with daily-wage labour, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has made a promise to the people: “I want to tell Rahul [Gandhi] baba…that the gagan chumbee (sky-reaching) Ram Mandir at Ayodhya will be ready for inauguration on January 1, 2024.” He was addressing a public rally at the beginning of 2023, in Tripura, as the State headed into elections.
The whole city is under construction, with a new airport to be inaugurated by year-end and a railway station by mid-year. | Photo Credit: MOORTHY RV
Temple town elation and turmoil
Away from the spotlight, are Ayodhya residents’ daily lives. Surrounding the area where Babri Masjid was situated, are lanes so narrow they can be crossed in a stride. In fact, monkeys frequently do. Hundreds of big and small temples, shops selling sweets, flowers, and other puja material, have erupted. There are a few homes of people who feel they’re blessed to be living near the birthplace of Ram.
The whole city is under construction, with a new airport to be inaugurated by year-end and a railway station by mid-year. The Ayodhya convener of the Vyapar Adhikar Manch, a trader organisation, says, “The tourism sector here will boom, as traders and the administration are targeting 5 crore visitors every year. This will give jobs to the youth, livelihood to traders, and better opportunities for the next generation.”
Roads are being widened across a 13-km stretch between Sahadatganj and Nayaghat, to be named Ram Path. Two 800-metre stretches, one from Sugriv Quila Marg and the other from Shringar Haat, both ending at the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, have seen homes and shops razed.
One of the demolished homes belonged to Pappu Halim, who runs a tent shop at Gudri Bazar chauraha (crossroads). The district administration said that Mr. Halim’s house was built on nazul land (owned by the government). He was forced to break down his shop, and a room of his house, as it was coming in the way of road widening. He was given ₹1.77 lakh to remove the debris of the demolition. “My father bought this land in 1949. I had all the documents. But when someone threatens you with a bulldozer, what else can you do?” says Mr. Halim.
Sunita Devi, a widow and sole breadwinner, who runs a tea stall and also sells bangles in a corner near Dashrath Mahal, is also a victim of the sprucing up. The administration demolished more than half her shop. “We all want the Ram Temple to be built, but it should be built in a way that it becomes an example for the world, not at the cost of people,” she says.
Jaishankar Pandey, State vice-president of the Samajwadi Party and former two-time MLA from Ayodhya, says that there are hundreds like Mr. Halim and Ms. Devi. “When they have crores to spend on the temple, why not pay some money to humans as well?” he says.
The Ayodhya Development Authority has a 10-year vision of developing roads, recreation spots and other facilities. | Photo Credit: MOORTHY RV
Trouble in temple paradise
Ram Lalla, the child form of the deity that can fit into a large palm, is now placed in a bullet-proof room. Devotees stream by, bowing and prostrating before the idol, as the priest gestures for the line to move quickly. They then stop near barricades to see the temple in the making.
The trust wants the new Ram idol to look bluish-white, like the Hindu god Vishnu is depicted. They’re looking at a height of 1.2 to 1.5 metres, so those standing as far back as 25 metres will be able to see it. The committee had initially zeroed in on Makrana marble, with stones from Odisha and Mysuru also considered.
But earlier in February, Nepal, in a move reflecting the two country’s shared geo-religious heritage, sent Shaligram Shila (stones representing Vishnu) from one of its holy rivers, Kali Gandaki, in anticipation of their use to build the Ram idol in Ayodhya.
The central secretary of the VHP, Rajendra Pankaj, who facilitated the transportation of the stone from Nepal’s Janakpur, considered the birthplace of Sita, Ram’s wife, is sure of using it to carve out the idol. Mr. Misra is unsure, though he says Nepal’s stone, even if not used for the idol, will be within the complex for darshan (viewing in reverence). Mr. Pankaj retaliates: “Let them say whatever. The stone will be used to make the idol of Lord Ram or at least in the garbha griha.”
Back at Mr. Yadav’s home across the river Saryu, in an area formerly called Faizabad that has now been amalgamated under Ayodhya district, his father sits outside a kutcha house he owns. Recalling December 6, 1992, Mr. Kishore says there had been agitations across town.
“I was working in the fields that day. The mob asked me to join them. I was young at that time; I gave it no second thought. I ran towards the mosque and participated in its demolition with other kar sevaks,” he says. He was never arrested or named in an FIR, much like thousands of others.
Today, older, he wants the government to increase the compensation to farmers to 10 times of the present value of his land, as he anticipates hotels coming up on farmland. The Ayodhya Development Authority has a 10-year vision of developing roads, recreation spots and other facilities. “The mandir has been made, but what have I got? I am still a farmer, and I find it hard to get two square meals a day.”
Former kar sevak Raj Kishore Yadav at his kutcha house in Ayodhya. | Photo Credit: MOORTHY RV
