Chandrakant Sompura, an Indian architect, led the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. |
He originates from Palitana in Gujarat, but his family moved to Ahmedabad in the 1960s. |
As the 15th generation in his family of temple architects, Chandrakant Sompura comes from a strong lineage. |
His grandfather, Prabhashankar Sompura, was honored with the Padma Shri for his work on the Somnath temple in Gujarat in 1949. |
The Sompura family is well-known for their projects like the Akshardham temple in Gujarat and the Birla Mandir in Kolkata. |
Chandrakant Sompura's father, Prabhakar Sompura, designed the Somnath Temple in Gujarat and the Krishna Janmasthan Temple in Mathura. |
Chandrakant Sompura is self-taught and has designed over 130 temples worldwide, including notable ones like the Swami Narayan Temple in Gandhinagar. |
In 1989-90, Ashok Singhal approached Sompura, and they began work on the Ram temple project. |
Chandrakant ingeniously measured the temple site without tools during his first visit, marking a crucial step in the temple's design. |
Once appointed as chief architect, Sompura presented models to VHP and Ashok Singhal for approval. |
Chandrakant updated the temple design in 2020 to suit the project's magnitude. |
By November 2019, 40% of the stone carvings for the temple were done; construction was expected to finish within 24-30 months. |
The Ram Temple by Sompura was the 'first temple in the world' to undergo a 3D structural analysis before construction. |
Chandrakant Sompura is a revered temple architect, known for his role in preserving ancient Indian temple architecture. |
The consecration ceremony for the Ram Temple happened on 22 January 2024. |