My Quick Review: Ram Mandir

Coming to Ram Janmabhoomi was a dream come true for me... it's not about how beautiful the temple is and its marvelous architecture etc, but it's all about being Ram Janmabhoomi or  the birthplace of Shree Ram. 

In my recent book, I have put a full chapter on this (Ram Mandir: Chapter 7 Culture during Crisis ; संकट में संस्कृति ) where there is a full interview with Shri Ashish Sompura, son of Chandrakant Sompura, the chief architect of the Mandir. I asked him what, in his experience, was the most important thing about the temple? He said that the most important thing is the place – the land and the location. The main thing is one cannot change the location of Ram Lalla (infant form of Lord Rama). He said and I quote - "kisi bhi aadmi ka janam hota hai, woh hota hai 6 by 3 ki khatiya mein [when a person is born, he or she is born on a 6 by 3 bed]”, which means this is the garb griha or the sanctum sanctorum, the innermost sanctuary where the murti (idol) of the primary deity of the temple resides. “The garb griha is going to be there and nowhere else. Howsoever beautiful your architecture may be but if it’s not at the right place, it will never give you the desired impact.” 

Architect of Ram Mandir Ashish Sompura tells me in an exclusive conversation, that his father Shri Chandrakant Sompura was contacted by the late Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) chief, late Ashok Singhal ji through the Birla family, for whom they had already designed the Birla Mandir in Calcutta. His father discussed the construction of the temple and had to go to Ayodhya to recce the land. With so much security present, he had to disguise himself as a devotee and measure the area with footsteps to make the masterplan. His design was later approved by the sants and gurus during the Allahabad Kumbh in the early 1990s. He is happy that the Trust has decided to retain his plan. "With so much security present, my dad had to disguise himself as a devotee and measure the area with footsteps to make the masterplan," architect of Ram Mandir Ashish Sompura tells me in an exclusive interview for my book Chapter 7 Ram Mandir. 

How was my visit to Ayodhya? I was simply overwhelmed when the invitation to visit came my way. Was it a coincidence that my birth was on the Ram Navmi Day (and in this year 2024, the year of Ram Lalla ki ghar wapsi, Ramnavmi falls once again on my birthday), that my book has a full chapter on Ram Mandir, that my visit happened even before the official launch and that too on the important day of Amavasya, which is significant in Hindu lunar calendar. I think I was meant to be there in Ram Janmabhoomi and so I went... 

I came to Ayodhya by car from Lucknow airport which is about 150 km away and takes 2.5 hours, but the expressway is crowded, and it can take up to 3 hours and more also. Once the Ayodhya airport is functional, there will be a direct link established between Ayodhya and all metros. Besides, the railway station is also being built and both are built to handle large footfalls. . Ayodhya Airport will have a peak-hour capacity of 750+ passengers and four aircraft movements per hour. With a cost of INR 250 CR, the building is inspired by the gradual elevation of the mandapas and the Nagara style of temple architecture reflecting Ayodhya’s heritage.

In the city of Ayodhya, infrastructure projects are underway left, right and centre. Construction is going on full swing. A lot has been built and a lot is being built. I saw the impressive Lata Mangeshkar chowk with a 40-ft-long veena, weighing 14 tonnes, installed at the roundabout. Coming to the Ram Mandir, pls don't expect the darshan to be a cakewalk.. like other pilgrimages, this one is for the highly motivated and not for the faint hearted... what you get is how you receive it. Be prepared to walk more than a kilometre within the temple compound but the walk is decent and is efficiently managed by the police personnel who conduct security check at two points. The entire darshan took me all of 25 minutes but set aside 40 minutes just for the Ram Mandir to be on the safer side. At the end comes the darshan of Ram Lalla Virajman, the infant form of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, the presiding deity of the temple- which makes it all worth it! I also got a chance to do shila daan - and got the name of near and dear ones inscribed on it.. spouse, children, parents.. my father carries the receipt with himself as a prized possession... 

Mobiles and watches and purses are not allowed inside Ram Mandir. You can take it halfway but then just before the mandir, you need to deposit it in lockers. Just beware of the monkey menace and don't carry anything on your person. You will find some guide kind of people -hire them as they are locals. They will charge you Rs 100-200 and navigate you through the galis and the galiyaras, show you all the places, tell you all the tales. My manfriday and very helpful  guide was a young boy, all of 15 years -Ajay Pandey who said - "agli baar jab aaoge pls hire me. I will be at Hanuman Garhi" ... he had no mobile phone. I offered him food when I was having lunch, but he said he just had lunch. I found him so enthusiastic and asked him what drives him and he said- "I was born in Ayodhya and only a few are lucky to be born in Ram Janambhoomi."

Besides, the main Ram Mandir, there are at least 4 more sites which the locals will encourage you to see. I was time strapped and barely had just an hour at my disposal, so decided to just go for the Ram Mandir. Otherwise, there is Kanak Bhawan a holy site dedicated to Goddess Sita, the Hanuman Garhi Temple, a 10th-century temple devoted to Lord Hanuman and Dashrath ki haveli...  

For food, there are any number of dhabas and they mostly serve food in pure desi ghee, and without onion and garlic. I had a veg thali at Kanak rasio which had delicious dal, mixed veg, paneer curry, rice, 2 rotis and spongy rasgulla, salad, papad for Rs 180.. then there is a Amma ji ki rasoi at Kanak Bhawan. 

The Ayodhya city otherwise is a bustling city - with regular stream of traffic and infra work going on... some interesting trivia is that every second board reads like this .. Ramayan, Siya Ram, Raghav etc.. and the ambience reverberates with chants of Jai Shree Ram.. the experience was phenomenal. 

I will just say this.. a few months back, when I had kept Sundarkand ka path at home, I felt every brick in my home was reverberating with sounds of Shree Ram... now that I have gone in person, I feel every cell in my body is reverberating with those sounds..  the only bhajan that keeps coming back to me is "mere man mein hai Ram, tan mein Ram, rom rom mein basa tera nam hai.. meri sanson mein tera hi naam hai.." 

Can't wait for 22nd- it's a moment in history which our generation will get to witness finally ... we are simply blessed... the day of homecoming of Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram ... I am overwhelmed with joy, heavy with dreams, perfumed with gratitude, choked with emotion!