Around 60 skilled wood sculptors and carpenters under the guidance of chief sculptor Ramesh carved the 18 doors on the ground floor of the temple, including the four-leaf folding main entrance door which is eight feet in height and 12 feet in width
Published Date – 08:00 AM, Sun – 31 December 23
Around 60 skilled sculptors, carpenters are working under guidance of chief sculptor Ramesh.
Hyderabad: As Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir is set to open its doors for devotees soon, a Hyderabad-based company is at the epicentre of carving those very doors. With a legacy of over 100 years in the business of wood, Anuradha Timbers International located in New Bowenpally, has been busy for the past few months in completing this pivotal task.
Their initial contribution was a miniature wooden model of the temple, which, to their surprise, will be placed on the way to darshan. Securing the contract on their merit and based on the experience of handling other high-profile projects like Yadagirigutta Temple, the company’s craftsmen began work back in June at the premises of the temple.
Around 60 skilled wood sculptors and carpenters under the guidance of chief sculptor Ramesh carved the 18 doors on the ground floor of the temple, including the four-leaf folding main entrance door which is eight feet in height and 12 feet in width.
Managing Partner Ch. Sarath Babu describes the assignment as the most important project and an overwhelming experience. “We are building these doors to last a thousand years using traditional techniques where we do not use any nails to fix the doors. The experience in our family is what helped us in completing this,” he says.
Crafted by hand in the Nagara style, all the doors in the inner sanctum sanctorum and the five mandaps are gold-plated. The intricate design on each of these doors includes figures of blessing elephants, lotus, women welcoming with hands joined together, peacocks, and other jaali patterns.
“We have, so far, delivered all the doors on the ground floor. Along with them, we will be making around 100 more doors to be placed in and around the temple,” says executive partner Ch. Kiran Kumar, adding that the work had to be done on a tight schedule.
While it would usually take workers more than eight months to deliver doors with such detailed designs, these had to be completed in less than two months without compromising on the quality. From designs to the teak wood used, everything had to be cleared by the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Theerth Kshetra Trust.
