Millions of Hindus around the world are waiting for the temple being constructed in Ayodhya to mark the birthplace of Shri Rama (also called Shri Ram), an Avatara of Vishnu who has been loved and worshipped by devotees for millennia. The design for the temple was prepared by the Sompura family of Ahmedabad in Gujarat in 1988 which is well known for building the modern Somnath Temple. When completed, this will surely be a splendid landmark across space and time. It was in the 16th century that the historic Ram temple which stood on the site was demolished by a general of Mughal invader Babur and a mosque was built over it — a barbarity that has been repeated countless times in history. However, unlike the followers of other pre-Abrahamic religions who converted or perished, Hindus have succeeded in preserving their religion, traditions and culture to this day. The narratives of how they managed to do that are being uncovered by many modern chroniclers.
Being the capital of iconoclastic rulers and later British colonizers, Delhi did not have any big Hindu temples for over 800 years. After Independence, the first big temple was built by the Birlas in 1939 and much later in 2005 came the grand Akshardham Temple.
But what many people do not know is that the same Sompura family which built the much-awaited temple at Ayodhya has almost completed a near-replica of that temple in Delhi! It is a mystery to me that this temple has hardly got any media coverage. I learned about it just by chance when Dr Bharat Gupt, a well-known professor and speaker on art and aesthetics visited our house in Houston in 2018. We got talking about Delhi and I mentioned that my sasuraal was in Ashok Vihar. Dr Gupt said that he too lived there for a long time and had, in fact, initiated the construction of a Ram Mandir (temple) there in 1975. I was astonished that despite my multiple visits to Delhi over the years, and staying in Ashok Vihar each time, I did not hear about this temple.
I learned that Dr Gupt was inspired by Swami Kripavananda of Gujarat and managed to convince the residents of Ashok Vihar to construct a stone temple in accordance with the classical Hindu architecture. Thanks to his push, Sri Ram Mandir Samiti was registered, the land was purchased, Bhoomi Puja was performed and the foundation stones were laid. However, the project got slowed down because of financing issues and there was no activity for a long time. Also, Dr Gupt recalled that he faced issues with residents who were steeped in conservative values and objected to the semi-nude carvings of Apsaras on the outer walls. Unlike in southern India, where such carvings are found in abundance in ancient Hindu temples, and in fact, understood as being an intrinsic part of Hindu aesthetics, in northern India where the Islamic influence is more predominant, such art has been frowned upon, especially in connection with temples.
Finally, after much deliberation, the temple design in Nagara style architecture was approved for the temple at Ashok Vihar with three Shikharas (the central one with a height of 100 feet), Mahapeetha, Mandodara and various embellishments. Artisans were brought from Rajasthan and Gujarat. The construction began in full swing.
As Dr Bharat Gupt explained to me, the tradition has been to regard the temple as the body of a living organism (Vaastu Purusha) which emphasises that everything is interconnected. That is why ancient temples stimulated various arts such as dance, music and poetry for the fulfilment of Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. It is a common sight in southern Indian temples for dancers and musicians to perform for deities and dedicate their art to them.
In fact, Dr Gupt had also wanted a primary school to be attached to this temple but in the colonized India that we live in today, many traditions of the past have taken a back seat. In my book on India’s educational heritage, I have dwelt on the temple universities of ancient India.
Due to the pandemic, I could not visit India for a few years. But as soon as I got the opportunity in June 2022, I made plans to visit the Ram Mandir at Ashok Vihar Phase I. My father-in-law and daughter accompanied me. It was difficult to imagine that such an imposing structure would emerge in a dusty, cramped Delhi neighbourhood where houses jostled for space with streets, stray dogs, cycle rickshaws, food carts and roaming cattle. But that is the beauty of India. Once, we walked into the devalaya space, it seemed like a different world.
Climbing up the steps, we came across a beautiful hall with white marble flooring. The standing images of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana accompanied by Hanuman at the feet of the Bhagwan could be seen at the central mandapa. There was an Archaka (also called purohita or pujari) tending to the rituals, who greeted us with a smile and gladly answered our questions about the temple. Images of Durga and Saraswati could be seen inside smaller mandapas just outside the main garbagriha. In addition, there were two separate shrines on either side of the main one and these had Radha-Krishna and the Shiva Parivara. I pointed out various features to my daughter with much delight. There were still some sculptures that had not been completed and were lying in the garden. The boundary wall has not been finished too.
I was surprised to find that there was hardly anyone inside the temple other than those taking care of it. Clearly, not many people knew about this place but it would be a matter of time once the construction got completed. The Archaka told me that the temple had already been inaugurated and many people had attended the event.
At the foot of the temple, I found another little temple tucked deep inside. This turned out to be the original temple that had been consecrated in 1975 with small murtis of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Hanuman and various other deities. In this temple, daily puja has been going on right from the time of its foundation.
I was delighted to find the Archaka who tends to this temple was sitting with his wife and children outside the temple and quickly took permission to click photos of them. He informed me that the aarti would start soon and I was torn between watching the aarti there versus the one that would take place upstairs in the main temple. Finally, I decided to stay downstairs with the original murtis and later went upstairs to see the last part of that aarti. Some people came in at the time of aarti to get special blessings.
One of the things I liked about the temple downstairs was that the lyrics of the aarti songs were put up on the walls. This was helpful in singing along with the Purohita and it was wonderful to find everyone singing together. I think this is an idea that other temples should take up to enable group singing.
I feel so thankful to Dr Bharat Gupt for taking the initiative to build this beautiful temple. When I mentioned his name to the priests in the temple, they indicated their deep respect for his entire family. Dr Gupt has been sharing his knowledge on Indian civilization for many years on his youtube channel. You can watch them here. Below, I have shared the link to his thoughts on anti-ritualism.
In the years to come, I hope that more people will visit this temple and connect with their inner selves. Unless Hindus gather together more often in their sacred spaces, they will lose the strength of being a part of a community. In particular, I hope that the younger folks living nearby will make it a point to visit this temple every day for the morning or evening aarti and sit for some time in meditation. May Dr Gupt’s dream of temples stimulating the arts just like in ancient times also come true.
(This article was published on Medium by the author and has been published here with her permission)
