Meet Chandrakant Sompura, The Architect Who Has Designed Ram Temple In Ayodhya

As the entire nation is focused on the historic? ‘bhoomi poojan’ ceremony for Ram Temple, so is?Chandrakant Sompura, for whom it, has been a long wait of three decades.

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That is because the?temple will be built as per the design prepared by architect Sompura a renowned architect who had to prepare the design in 1989.

It was the then VHP chief Ashok Singhal who first took Sompura to Ayodhya and asked him to design a temple.?He made a grand design for the Ram Temple which was later approved by saints during the Allahabad Kumbh in the early 1990s.

"I went with Ashok Singhal to see the area. It was like a military cantonment. Mr Singhal was not allowed to enter the site and neither was I allowed to take measuring tapes inside. So I had to take a rough measurement using my own feet. Thereafter, a few models were made and presented to the VHP and Singhal. They approved this particular model which was then turned into a wooden structure. It was presented in front of other saints in Kumbh, who had then approved of it,"?Sompura told IANS.?

Based on his design, artisans have been working in several locations, carving the stones for the temple construction.?

In November 2019 Sompura had said that nearly 40 percent of the stone carvings have been completed and he is confident that the construction will be completed within 24 and 30 months after the foundation is? laid.

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Sompura comes from a family that has a long history of designing temples. His father Prabhakar Sompura, was the architect of the Somnath Temple in Gujarat and the temple in Mathura, the mythological birthplace of Lord Krishna.?

Chandrakant Sompura who followed his father's footsteps has designed 131 temples, along with his son Ashish. This includes the Swami Narayan Temple in Gandhinagar, Ambaji Temple in Palanpur and several others.

"It was our family that designed Somnath temple, apart from others like Mathura, Palanpur etc. It is a big thing for us that the same family has designed the Ram temple. It is a matter of pride for us. However, the architecture remains the same -- Nagraj style. The style in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh is the same for years -- Nagraj style," he said.

According to him, special pink stones from Bansi Paharpur in Rajasthan are being used for the temple.?

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The VHP had claimed that? 1.25 lakh cubic feet of stone has been carved and 1.75 lakh cubic feet of sandstone will be required for the full construction of the temple.

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?As per Sompura's design, the temple, to be constructed will have five domes instead of two as envisaged earlier to accommodate more number of devotees, the architect said.

"The design of the temple was modified after the Supreme Court verdict. Now it will be almost double the size of what was originally planned," Chandrakant?Sompura, told PTI.??

According to him, the project is likely to be completed in the next three years once the work commences.