New Delhi Jan 21: The construction of the magnificent Ram Temple in Ayodhya was technically assisted by at least four leading National Institutes of CSIR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research) and DST (Department of Science & Technology).
This was disclosed by Union Minister of State PMO Dr Jitendra Singh on Sunday adding that institutions like IITs and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) have also given some inputs, an official statement said.
The Minister said that CSIR-CBRI Roorkee has majorly contributed towards Ram Temple construction while CSIR-NGRI Hyderabad gave significant inputs on foundation design and seismic safety.
Moreover, DST-IIA Bengaluru had provided technical support on Sun’s path for Surya Tilak and CSIR-IHBT Palampur has made tulips bloom for the divine Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya on 22nd January, Jitendra Singh added.
He said, the main temple building, which is 360 ft long, 235 ft wide and 161 ft high, is made of sandstone quarried from Bansi Pahadpur, Rajasthan. Cement or iron and steel is not used anywhere in its construction.
The structural design of the 3-storey temple is designed earthquake resilient and can withstand strong tremors of magnitude 8 on the Richter scale for as long as 2,500 years, he said.
“CSIR-CBRI Roorkee has been involved in the construction of Ram Mandir since early stages. The Institute has contributed towards structural design of the main temple, designing Surya Tilak mechanism, design vetting of temple foundation, and structural health monitoring of main temple,” he said.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, besides CBRI, the CSIR-NGRI Hyderabad also gave significant inputs on foundation design and seismic or earthquake safety. Few IITs were also part of expert advisory committee and even Space technologies from ISRO have been used in the construction of the grandiose structure.
A unique feature of the Ram Temple, the Minister said, is the Surya Tilak mechanism, designed in such a way that the sun rays will fall on the forehead of Lord Ram’s Idol at 12 noon on Sriram Navami day every year for about 6 minutes.
The Science & Technology Minister said, Indian Institute of Astrophysics Bengaluru provided technical support on sun’s path and optica, Bangalore is involved in manufacturing of the lenses and brass tubes.
“Gear box and reflective mirrors/lenses have been arranged such that sun rays from third floor near Shikara will be brought to Garbha Griha using well known principles of tracking sun’s path,” he said.
In celebration of faith, unity and the spirit of devotion, CSIR-IHBT Palampur (HP) is sending Tulip Blooms to the divine Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya on 22nd January, he said.
“Tulip does not flower in this season. It grows only in Jammu & Kashmir and few other higher Himalayan regions and that too only in the spring season. The Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology Palampur has recently developed an indigenous technology through which tulip could be made available throughout the year, without waiting for its season,” he said.
Similarly, the Minister informed that the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) Lucknow has developed a new lotus variety named ‘NBRI Namoh 108’.
The Namoh 108 lotus variety flowers from March to December and is rich in nutrients. This is the first lotus variety whose genome is completely sequenced for its characteristics,” he added. (Agencies)