RAM TEMPLE AND NAGARA ARCHITECTURE

The Ayodhya Ram Temple, a testament to India's cultural richness, harmoniously merges modern technology with ancient traditions. Crafted by architects Chandrakant Bhai Sompura and Ashish, it embraces the traditional Nagara style, reflecting India's deep cultural roots. As one of post-independence India's largest temples, it adheres to Vastu Shastra principles, emphasizing cosmic harmony.

UNIQUENESS OF RAM TEMPLE

1. Traditional Architecture

• 3-storey Nagara style temple with pink sandstone from Mirzapur and Bansi-Paharpur.

2. Temple Dimensions

• Spans 250ft width, 161ft height, and covers 71 acres.
• 390 pillars, 46 doorways, and 5 mandaps.

3. Materials Used

• No iron or steel; stones from Rajasthan's Bansi Paharpur.

4. Entrance and Main Temple

• 32 steps from the east to the main temple.
• Includes a south Indian-style rectangular percota.

5. Carvings and Decorations

• Intricate carvings of Lord Hanuman, deities, peacocks.
• Over 3,000 kg of flowers from 20 varieties used for decoration.

6. Unique Features Inside

• Main Garbh Griha holds idols of Ram Lalla.
• Multiple mandaps, including Rang Mandap and  Nritya Mandap.

7. Innovative Anointment Tradition

• Sun's rays focus on Ram Lalla’s idol during Ram Navami without electricity.

8. Sculptor's Contribution

• Idol crafted by Mysuru sculptor Arun Yogiraj.

9. Durability and Symbolism

• No iron used, designed to endure a millennium.

10. Green Area and Conservation

• 70% dedicated to a green area with 600 existing trees.
• Own sewage and water treatment plants, fire brigade post, dedicated electricity line.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RAM MANDIR’S CONSTRUCTION

1. Religious Significance

• With the completion of the construction of Ram Mandir, the decades of religious clashes between Hindus and Muslims came to an end. This will promote religious harmony in the country. 

2. Cultural Significance

• The Ayodhya and Ram Mandir are considered a symbol of the historical and cultural heritage of the country. Thus. construction of the temple is a step towards celebrating and preserving India’s cultural heritage. 

3. Promotion of Social Service

• A large number of charitable institutions are expected to come up around the temple. These institutions will promote social service. 

4. Economic Significance

• The Ram Mandir, as one of the main shrines of the Hindus, will boost tourism in the Ayodhya region. This, in turn, will stimulate economic growth in the region and create jobs.

5. Infrastructural Significance

• The construction of the Ram Temple has initiated the process of the infrastructural development of the Ayodhya region. Major infrastructure projects such as roads, and airports, followed by some industries are expected to come up in the region. 

The Nagara Style of temple architecture emerged sometime in the 5th century AD, during the late Gupta period, in northern India.It is seen as a contemporary to the Dravida Style of architecture in southern India which too emerged in the same period.Temples classified as Nagara Style are found in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh (areas bordering Odisha) and West Bengal (southwest and Sundarbans areas).

MAJOR FEATURES OF NAGARA STYLE

1. Shikhara

• The shikhara is the tallest tower of the temple. It is typically pyramidal in shape and tapers towards the top. It is topped by a bulbous finial called a kalasha.

2. Plan

• Nagara temples are typically built on a square or rectangular plan. The shikhara is located in the center.
• The temple may also have many smaller towers, called mukhamandapas, located around the shikhara.

3. Walls

• The walls of Nagara temples are typically made of stone or brick. They are decorated with sculptures and reliefs.
•  The walls may also have a series of windows, which allow light to enter the temple.

4. Pillars

• The pillars of Nagara temples are typically carved with intricate designs. They are topped by capitals that support the roof.

5. Toranas

• The toranas are the gateways to the temple. They are typically made of stone or wood and are decorated with sculptures and reliefs.

6. Mandapa

• The mandapa is the main hall of the temple. It is where the devotees gather to worship the deity. Pillars typically support the mandapa and have a high ceiling.

7. Garbhagriha

• The garbhagriha is the innermost sanctum of the temple, where the deity is enshrined. It is a small, dark room that is only accessible to the priests.

​FIVE MODES OF NAGARA ARCHITECTURE

1. Valabhi

• This mode begins as a masonry rendering of the barrel-roofed wooden structure, either simple or with aisles, familiar through chaitya halls (prayer halls, most associated with Buddhist shrines).
• It is a formalization of multi-eave towers, often with a piling up of slabs. 

2. Phamsana

• The Phamsana mode is characterized by a shikhara that is a formalization of multi-eave towers and involves a piling up of slabs.
•  It is associated with the Early Nagara Style and represents a progression from the Valabhi mode. 

3. Latina

• The Latina is a shikhara that is a single, slightly curved tower with four sides of equal length. It emerged in the Gupta heartland, was complete with curvature by the early seventh century, and spread across the entire breadth of northern India. For three centuries, it was considered the peak of Nagara temple architecture. 

4. Shekhari

• The Shekhari mode features a shikhara with attached sub-spires or spirelets echoing the main shape.
• These sub-spires may run up most of the face of the shikhara and can be of more than one size. 

5. Bhumija

• The Bhumija mode involves miniature spires arranged in horizontal and vertical rows, creating a grid-like effect on each face of the shikhara.
•  The actual shikhara often approaches a pyramidal shape, with the curve of the Latina less visible. This style emerged from composite Latinas in the tenth century onwards. 

SUB-SCHOOLS OF NAGARA SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

1. Odisha School

• Odisha School of temples is classified into three architectural orders: Rekhapida, Pidhadeul, and Khakra. 
• Most major temple locations, such as Bhubaneswar or ancient Tribhuvanesvara, Puri, and Konark, are found in the ancient Kalinga modern Puri District. 
• Within the nagara order, the temples of Odisha represent a unique substyle. 
• The shikhara, known as Deul in Odisha, is generally vertical almost to the summit when it abruptly turns sharply inwards. 
• As is customary in Odisha, mandapas known as Jaganmohan precede deuls. 
• The ground layout of the main temple is nearly invariably square, but the crowning Mastaka, the highest point of its superstructure, is round. As a result, the spire appears almost cylindrical over its length.
• The temples' exteriors are ornately carved, while their interiors are typically fairly barren. Compartments and niches are typically square. 
• Odisha temples frequently have perimeter walls.
• Some examples of the Odisha school of nagara style of architecture are Lingaraj in Bhubaneswar, Jagannath in Puri, and Surya in Konark.

         2. ​​Chandel School

• Chandel schools of temples are also known as Khajuraho temples. 
• These temples, unlike those built in the Odisha style, have Shikhara, which curves from bottom to top. 
• The main tower is surrounded by towers that progressively ascend towards it, covering the arcades and halls, and several shikhara miniatures rise from it. 
• The numerous erotic sculptures found in the temples of Khajuraho are well-known. 
• Chandel School was patronized by the Bundelkhand Chandela kings of the 10th and 11th centuries. 
• The internal and external walls of these temples are decorated with elaborate sculptures. 
• Vatsyayana's Kamasutra influenced the sculptures and usually featured erotic themes. 
• The structure of the temples was composed of sandstone.
• Some examples of Chandel schools of nagara style of architecture are the Vishnu Temple at Chaturbhunj, Madhya Pradesh, Shiva Temple at Visvanath, and Kendriya Mahadev Temple, Madhya Pradesh.

3. Solanki School

• Solanki school was Patronized by the Solanki kings, also later Chalukyas of Gujarat, in the 11^th  to 13^th centuries. 
• Some of the characteristics of Solanki School are similar to the Chandel School. However, the Solanki School has a roof sculpted to resemble an actual dome. 
• These temples are characterized by their tiny, delicate ornamental embellishments. Except for the main temple, carvings may be observed inside and outside the walls. 
• There are no sculptures on the Solanki-style temple's outside walls. 
• The mandapa and the Garbhagriha were linked both internally and outwardly.
• Some examples of the Solanki school of nagara style of architecture are Sun Temple at Modhera, Ranakpur temple in Rajasthan, and Rani Ki Nav in Maru Gurjara Temples.

NAGARA-STYLE TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE IN DIFFERENT REGIONS:

1. Central India

• Geographical Coverage: Central India includes parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and some central parts of Rajasthan.
• Temple Structure: The temples in central India typically have a straightforward square porch extension (mandapa) with four pillars supporting it. The Garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) is a small space at the front.
• Plain Appearance: The shrines in central India have a plain appearance.
• Example:

• Deogarh (Uttar Pradesh): Constructed in the early 6th century AD, it follows the Panchayatana architectural style with a rectangular base and four additional smaller sub-shrines at each corner.
• Lakshmana Temple (Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh): Built by the Chandela King, it is devoted to Lord Vishnu and features four smaller temples at each corner.

2. West India

• Geographical Coverage: West Indian temples are located in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
• Temple Variety: Various types and colors of stone, including sandstone, black basalt, and white marble, are used in the construction of temples.
• Example

• Sun Temple (Modhera, Gujarat): Constructed in 1026, it showcases the influence of Gujarati wood carving tradition. Different types of stone, including sandstone and marble, are used in the construction of temples in this region.

3. East India

• Geographical Coverage: Eastern Indian temples are found in Bengal, Odisha, and the northeastern states.
• Terracotta Usage (Bengal): Bengal used terracotta as the primary building material up to the seventh century, molding plaques with images of Buddhist and Hindu deities.
• Odisha Temples

• Konark Sun Temple: Built in 1240 AD, the massive shikhara collapsed in the 19th century, and the temple complex is known for its jagamohana or dance-pavilion.

• Assam Temples

• Kamakhya Temple: Constructed in the seventeenth century, it represents the unique Ahom style resulting from the mingling of the Gupta and Burmese styles.

NAGARA STYLE VARIATIONS

• Pala Style (Bengal): Associated with sculptures from the ninth to the eleventh centuries, expressing the native Vanga style.
• Sena Rulers (Bengal): Associated with sculptures from the mid-eleventh to mid-thirteenth centuries.
• Ahom Style (Assam): Resulted from the mingling of the Gupta and Burmese styles in the twelfth to fifteenth centuries.