In Pictures: Everything That's Happening In Ayodhya's Karyashalas Crafting Key Elements For Ram Temple

The Ram Janmabhoomi temple is taking form across the expansive 2.7-acre area, where over 5,000 dedicated artisans and workers are diligently contributing their spirits and expertise each day and night.

While their efforts are weaving together the diverse elements of the monumental structure at the site, artisan Ranjeet Mandal, has set up his base three kilometres from the main site, at the Ram Janmabhoomi Murti Nirman Karyashala in Karsevakpuram of Ayodhya.

Ranjeet's connection with the temple began even before the construction. He has been making use of his artform to craft sculptures depicting the Ram katha, which will be housed within the temple’s premises.  

He was in Class XIII, when Ashok Singhal noticed his work and asked to come with him to Delhi, to continue his art of making of sculptures.  

Ranjeet tells Swarajya, “my journey to Ayodhya has been very long. I started as a painter, and was guided by my principal in school in Silchar, Assam, to start sculpting. I believe, my skills in murtikari (art of making sculptures) have been a god’s gift to me.”

“In 1997, Ashok Singhal Ji, noticed my work at an exhibition in Guwahati, Assam, and invited me to come with him to Delhi and continue crafting sculptures for several Hindu temples. Being the only son, I remember how my parents trusted Singhal ji when they met him, and agreed to send me, to pursue my skills further,” he adds.

“Since then, it has been 25 years for me making sculptures, which started with the guidance of Ashok Singhal and work associated with Hindu Dharma. I continued working from Delhi, till 2002, when I came to Ayodhya with Champat Rai ji.”

“In 2013, I prepared two prasangas (events) of the Ram katha, and presented it to Ashok Singhal. On his approval, the work for storytelling through my artform began. At that time, the temple's construction had not yet taken shape, but there was unwavering faith among all involved that our efforts would one day materialise into reality,” he added.

Today, with the mandir construction also ongoing, Ranjeet’s workshop is filled with numerous sculptures describing significant events of the Ramayan.

Ayodhya's Karyashaala Kept Alive The Temple's Work

In line with keeping the essence and preparations for the Ram temple, the Mandir Nirman Karyashala was setup on 30 August 1990 by the Nyas on the land donated by the king of Ayodhya.  

This site served as the hub for receiving stone consignments from Rajasthan and the array of bricks, that were contributed from across the nation, all intended for the temple's construction.

According to architect Nikhil Sompura, “the Bansi Paharpur stones from Rajasthan kept coming to the karyashala between 1992 and 1998. The stone carving work has continued since then, with some lags in between."

Later, as murti karya (sculpting) also started, another workshop, named Ramsevakpuram was set up, which became the Murti Nirman Karyashaala (where Ranjeet Mandal has his workshop).

Both workshops are situated within two to three kilometres from the Ram Janmbhoomi temple site.

The workshops have acted as the core for connecting with the people and symbolising the essence and efforts of the Ram temple movement in Ayodhya.

These locations has drawn thousands of visitors daily, both out of devotion and curiosity, to see the stones and ongoing work, even before the final decision was made.

While the finishing works have now been shifted to the temple site, the karyashala continues to be the crafting workshop for numerous artisans who have come from various parts of the country to put together crucial elements of the temple.  

Artisans Shaping The Temple Together

In the last 10 years, Ranjeet has devoted each day to translating the Ramayan into sculptural representations, which will offer the visitors a chance to immerse themselves in the journey from the Putreshti Yagya to the Rajya Tilak.

He says, "my work is derived from the scriptures of the Ramayan, and I will translate nearly 100 shlokas through my art of storytelling."

At present, he has crafted 54 such figures, using materials like steel wire, cement, sand, and stone, which he brings together relying solely on his skillset.

He says, “each prasanga you see here, captures a moment in the life of Lord Ram starting from his birth. For each of them, it takes three months for me to reach a satisfactory completion as it is done without any mould. Every new event, stands as a unique beginning, yet together, they will narrate the divine journey to the people."

As the workshop space now brims with the artworks, he has now requested Champat ji to expand the workspace to continue this work.

He adds, “I will continue working on this till I have woven the complete Katha for the visitors. Once the temple opens, these sculptures will be painted and then placed on the temple's surrounding corridor.”

Many such artisans and craftsmen like Ranjeet, are in Ayodhya at present, bringing in skills and cultural knowledge from different parts of India, to fuse into the monumental essence of the Ram Mandir.  

Within the same karyashala, several skilled workers can also be seen working on the colossal temple doors, embellishing them with intricate incarnations drawn from Hindu sanskriti.

To bring all the details of this scale together, a team of wood artisans have come from Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, while, for layering copper and gold on the wooden doors, another team of artisans from Banaras are also present in the same workspace.

The woodworkers, a team of close to 35 artisans, are working under a Hyderabad-based company.

One of the senior members explain, “the nearly 10 to 12 feet high gates, are being prepared in wood first with all carving details, and is then being plated with copper through a fire-etching process, which will further be coated with gold.”

Working tirelessly towards the temple's opening, he tells Swarajya, “we are tasked with creating 18 pairs of doors for the temple. While some share similar dimensions, others are unique in size and iconography based on their designated location within the temple premises. All carvings are being done by hand, following the design that has been decided by the trust.”

Before this, these artisans have contributed their skills to various temples in Telangana and Tamil Nadu, as well as government structures like the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi.

He adds, “once we are done with the design, carvings and the treatment, the doors proceed to the metal artisans from Uttar Pradesh, who work on infusing copper over the wooden doors' form.”

The Banaras-based metal artisans ensure perfect tracing of shapes, recreating every intricate detail from the wooden carvings, making it unified piece of wood and metal.

Stone Pillars, Piled Up For More Than Three Decades

Just a short walk away from this workshop lies the other nirman karyashala dedicated to the Ram Janmbhoomi, which showcases the extensive stonework, undertaken over the past three decades.

Among the stone artifacts at this site, many pillars, ceiling pieces, and floor slabs from Rajasthan have been piled up, while many of the pillars have already been used in the ground and first floor of the temple.

“Each of the pillar, takes nearly a month for chiselling and cleaning to bring out the detailed carvings on the stone,” says Virendra Kumar, engaged in carving these pillars for the past 10 months.

He hails from Rajasthan’s Dungarpur district, where he learnt the art for stone carving, and has worked on various temples, big and small, from Rajasthan for 11 years.

He says, “there is a team of 18 artisans here currently, all from Dungarpur region of Rajasthan. Some have been involved in this craft for generations, and have done nakashi work for stone structures across Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi.”

“All of this is Bansi Paharpur stone and has already been carved once. However, these stones have been resting for 20-30 years. These weathered pillars now need to be recreated, to bring back all the iconography while carefully focusing on maintaining the original design and figures carved on each of the pillars.”

Other artisans from the team, Ajay Damor and Ganesh Babariya, who are also supervising all of this work under the Sompuras adds, “once the pillars are recreated, they are transported to the temple site."

"After fixing in the structure, specific iconography, based on the position of the pillars in different mandapas and floors, are carried out further by artisans from Odisha.”