In our vast nation, known for very ancient and revered Mandir towns that attract followers and tourists in droves yearly, we often hear a statement, “Why make a Mandir? Why not hospital/school instead?.” This seems to be the favourite question thrown around by the Urban Indians, who otherwise love spending on vacations that take them to witness the famed Italian Renaissance.
Then the question to them should be, why did the Medici invest in Art? Why didn’t they build hospitals and schools instead of the Sistine Chapel?
This marriage of antiquity with modern times is known as the Cultural Renaissance. The much-awaited Ram Lalla Mandir in Ayodhya is and will be considered a historical epoch in years to come, as we are yet to fully comprehend its vast significance. This is not just a place of worship; calling it so and halting its meaning at this point shows an abject banality of mind.
This Mandir is the Energy Locus of an Indic Spiritual and Cultural Renaissance, and it will remain so for millennia to come.
All around us, we hear a famous trending term – Sustainability. Everyone is chasing Sustainable solutions for everything today, be it Fashion, Development, Food grains or even Fuels, whilst not fully understanding the purpose of this word.
Let us understand how, in one stroke, the Ram Lalla Mandir has Sustained the age-old crafts and bridged the gap between Yugas (a vast epoch of time).
In Valmiki Ramayan, Ayodhya is described as a magnificent and grand metropolis. It was, in fact, the grandest amongst grand cities. It was spread over approximately 6000 sq km (almost as large as Shanghai today) and had stellar architecture and infrastructure. In Baal Kaand of Valmiki Ramayan, there is a vivid description of the city just before the famed Ashwamedha Yagya, after which Bhagwaan Ram was born, along with his three brothers.
The city’s preparations for this massive Yagya are astounding to read. Not only was Ayodhya a smart city, but it was also a cultural melting pot for people of all economic and regional strata.
When the Ashwamedha Yagya was going to take place there, it was a huge event in which dignitaries were expected to arrive from far-off places.
The Maha Yagya was to be attended by Rishis from across Bharatvarsh. Preparations of their state-of-the-art accommodations have been given in great detail in the Ramayana. At that time, a huge Tent City was erected to house the teeming guests pouring in from all directions in Ayodhya.
Maharaja Dashrath instructed his team that while many guests are coming as per their information, many more will come in without reservations, just out of pure love and devotion. He would not have them sleeping under the open sky without food, as his guests did. He instructed additional Tent Cities to be built with all luxuries and amenities. Reading this in Ramayan would have filled anyone’s heart with sorrow at the current condition of this once magnificent city.
But who would have imagined that one day, i.e., 22nd January 2024, will be enough to inch the current times closer to the Ayodhya of Treta Yug, at least in terms of architecture, Art, culture, bhava and energy, if not anything greater?
The magnificent Ram Lalla mandir is made in the Nagara style of Architecture. India had three major Mandir architectural styles – Nagara, Dravida and Vesara; but this was considered a talk of the far past. Mandir construction of this kind had stopped over the last 5 to 6 centuries, further discouraged by the state machinery since Independence. In the face of this, maintaining existing structures was considered enough, and even amongst the best of temple architecture scholars, a general feeling was that the ancient styles were altogether lost.
However, one Pran Pratishtha changed this perception completely. The stunning Vigraha has been made with all ancient ceremonies and rituals intact.
The architecture of the Mandir was done in an indigenous style, where no iron was used inside the structure. Instead, the structure is made with granite, sandstone and marble, like the ancient Nagara style in the Gupta period, which helped the Mandir last at least 1000 years. The Mandir is built around a central column that is based upon a stone plinth, for which soil was contributed from 2587 regions, including notable places like Jhansi, Bithoori, Yamunotri, Haldighati, Chittorgarh, Golden Temple etc, for spiritual and cultural unity.
The Mandir used water from 150 Holy Rivers for the consecration ceremony and had the Heads of 130+ Sampradayas and Panths in attendance for the Pran Prathishta, which is very similar to how water from various Holy Rivers was brought in Ayodhya in Valmiki Ramayan, and the Rishis from across Bharatvarsh were in attendance before the Ashwamedha Yagya during Maharaja Dashrath’s time. Isn’t this Renaissance in the truest form?
The ‘sammohak’ Ram Lalla murti is a remarkable sculpting feat. Made by the 5th generation sculptor from Mysore, Arun Yogiraj, the murti, upon unveiling, invoked overwhelming tears in the eyes of many devotees. The life-like murti has been carved using 2.5 billion years old black granite, known as Krishna Shila. In the sculptor’s own words, the eyes were carved using a Gold chisel and a Silver hammer. This and the Pran Pratishtha in the 84-second “mool muhurat” could be the reason for the life-like eyes which left even its sculptor stunned, let alone the devotees who just cannot stop looking at the visage of the 5-year-old Ram Lalla.
This is how murtis were carved in the ancient Bharatvarsh. Even today, when we see ruins of such murti lying listlessly in the National and State Museums, we feel a movement within their eyes.
It is astonishing how this Art was revived exactly like it was in ancient times, despite all the discouragement in the past couple of centuries.
Take the jewellery, for instance. In Valmiki Ramayan, the following metals and gemstones are mentioned – Swarna (Gold), Heera (Diamonds), Panna (Emerald), Manik (Ruby) and Moti (Pearls). The jewellery of Ram Lalla by Banaras-based Harsahaimal Shiamlal Jewellers is made as per the description in Valmiki Ramayan and ancient jewellery Art of fine Gold Filigree. The deity’s crown is remarkably detailed, with the Suryavanshi Sun Crest and Fishes on either side. Fishes are the ancient symbol of Kosala, then Awadh, and can be seen in the UP State Seal, along with Sri Ram’s Bow & Arrow.
All these details have been included in the crown. The clothes of the deity, made by designer Manish Tripathi, are very close to those described in Valmiki Ramayan, the Peetambari (Yellow) silk dhoti and the Red Silk Patka (belt).
Even in terms of the decoration of the majestic Mandir, the flowers used are closest to the ones detailed in our ancient scriptures, as they were used to decorate various Mandapas and Sabhas.
The current UP administration also erected a Tent City, close to how it was organised before the Ashwamedha Yagya in Ramayan (as detailed in some paragraphs above in this article). In keeping with the Raghukul tradition, the Praan Pratishtha ceremony was well organised, respectful towards all devotees and thoroughly detailed.
The stellar ceremony took everyone back to the purity of Treta Yuga, where, as the Mool Muhurat ceremony began, the Akash Vimana (choppers in modern times) showered flower petals with traditional instruments like Naad, Vaad, Tabla and Shehnaai tunes reverberating the skies, and had everyone weeping happily as they sang “Paayoji main to Raam Ratan Dhan Paayo”!! Anyone who has read Baal Kaand in Valmiki Ramayan can attest that this was a throwback in every sense to the birth of Sri Rama and his three brothers in Treta Yuga.
If this is not a Spiritual and Cultural Renaissance, then what is? If this is not sustaining traditions, customs, Art, craft, culture, history & legacy, amongst other things, then what is?
Can a hospital ever think of achieving a culturally wholesome solution like Ram Lalla Mandir?
Since the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, the world of Social Media has burst with content and conversations around the shared culture and legacy of Sri Rama; globally, across ethnicities and religions, Gen Z is astounded by the details and their linked relevance to the ancient traditions; on the other hand, from academic film personalities like Muzzafar Ali and Javed Akhtar to Jaipur royals like Prince Padmanabh Singh in India to people in South Korea, everyone is sharing how they draw their lineage from Sri Rama.
If this is not bridging the gap, building a shared community feeling, and invoking a cultural renaissance, then what is, & what will?
In the years to come, we will truly understand how this Mandir and the ceremony have made a ‘Ram Setu’ between our times and Treta Yuga. For now, much soaking in this Mandir’s Spiritual & Cultural, and Historical importance is needed.
