AYODHYA: The upcoming Ram temple in Ayodhya will not require any repairs for another one thousand years.
Champat Rai, general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust said that even an earthquake of 6.5 on the Richter scale would not be able to shake the foundation of the temple.
"We have increased the thickness of the pillars and placed heavy stones on the walls. We have made a strong foundation in which heavy stones have been used. This building has been strengthened from bottom to top so that it can withstand strong tremors and suffer no damage, " said Vinod Kumar Mehta, project director, L&T, the firm tasked with constructing the temple.
Rai said that the foundation of the temple is 50 feet deep and is entirely made of stones, cement and other material. No steel or iron has been used anywhere in the temple building, he said.
The foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5, 2020.
A 50-foot-deep pit -- 400 feet long and 300 feet wide -- was first excavated and filled with layers of compacted cement and other building material, including small stones and fly ash.
A total of 17, 000 granite stones, each weighing 2 tons, are being used in the temple. Besides, 4 lakh cubic feet of pink stones from Mirzapur were used for constructing the plinth and 1 lakh cubic feet of carved marble from Bansi Paharpur in Rajasthan were used for sculpting the spire.
"Currently, 21 lakh cubic feet of granite, sandstone and marble are being used in the construction of the temple, " Rai said.
"Over 80 per cent of construction work on the ground floor of the Ram temple has been completed. A total of 162 pillars are ready and more than 4, 500 idols are being carved on these pillars by artisans from Kerala and Rajasthan. The idols will offer the devotees a glimpse of the Treta Yug, " said Rai.
The frame of the Ram temple is made of marble, while the doors are of teakwood from Maharashtra. The carving work has also started on them.
The Trust general secretary said that the idol of Ram Lalla will be installed on the first floor of the temple. "The consecration of the idol in the sanctum sanctorum will be done on any day between January 15 and 24. By the month of October, the work on the ground floor of the temple will be completed, " he said.