Six months after the consecration ceremony at Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir, the Temple Trust and local administration face challenges due to heavy rainfall.
Issues include water dripping in the temple’s ‘gudh mandap’ and potholes on Ram Path, impacting accessibility and maintenance efforts. Immediate attention is needed to address these infrastructure issues at this significant religious site.
In addition to the challenges at the Ram Mandir, waterlogging has been reported outside the newly renovated Ayodhya railway station.
Authorities are actively using heavy machinery to fill potholes and drain the water, addressing the immediate infrastructure issues caused by heavy rainfall in the area.
During a visit by The Indian Express to the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, rainwater was observed dripping from conduit pipes, under-construction staircases near the sanctum sanctorum, and the temporary roof over the ‘gudh mandap’.
Puddles of water on the path to the mandap made the marble floor muddy and slippery. The ‘gudh mandap’, where devotees are allowed up to, experienced these issues.
The temple’s chief priest, Satyendra Das, mentioned the absence of a drainage system within the temple and reported leaks in the sanctum sanctorum.
However, temple authorities attributed the dripping water to ongoing construction work on the upper levels, where a hall and dome are being built.
Girish Sahasrabhojanee, the design and construction manager, said:
“Recently there has been hue and cry about the leakage everywhere, but the simple fact is that you cannot expect 100 per cent result from a structure which is nearly 80 per cent complete.
During the construction phase, there are bound to be some small issues, but there is nothing wrong in the basic design methodology.”
Temple Trust officials have refuted Chief Priest Satyendra Das’s claims about the absence of a drainage system within the temple. One official clarified that the decision to not install drainage was intentional, aimed at preventing holy water from mixing with sewage.
“These problems will be resolved once the Ram Darbar on the first floor and the dome are completed. We have set the deadline for the year-end,” this Trust official said.
Champat Rai, the general secretary of the Trust, denied any allegations of a leak regarding the temple’s infrastructure issues.
“Since the work on electrical wiring, waterproofing and flooring is in progress on the first floor, water entered from junction boxes… It looked like water was leaking from the top, but it was actually coming from conduit pipes,” he said, adding that “excellent arrangements” had been made at the temple to drain rainwater “so there will be no waterlogging anywhere”.
Near the ‘gudh mandap’ on Wednesday, security personnel were stationed next to a red bucket placed to collect rainwater.
Sahasrabhojanee explained that the ‘gudh mandap’ is intended to reach over 50 feet in height with a dome on top, but currently, it stands at a single storey of just 20 feet.
Ongoing construction at the upper levels has left it open, although efforts have been made to temporarily cover and secure it for safety reasons.
Two staircases, located north and south of the sanctum sanctorum at the Ram Mandir, are intended to lead visitors to the top two floors.
Currently under construction, these staircases are open at the top with temporary roofs. Sahasrabhojanee mentioned that once completed, these structures will no longer pose any issues.
Visitors to the temple also faced challenges on the half-kilometer stretch of Ram Janmabhoomi Path, which was waterlogged after recent rains. Although the water subsided quickly, it left behind sludge and mud, making it difficult for devotees to traverse barefoot.
Additionally, the 13-kilometer road linking Sadatganj to Naya Ghat experienced three cave-ins. This road had been newly laid in preparation for the consecration ceremony at the Ram Mandir.
Ayodhya District Magistrate Nitish Kumar clarified that the road linking Sadatganj to Naya Ghat, which experienced cave-ins, is undergoing repairs on a priority basis.
He mentioned that such projects are covered by a defect liability period precisely for addressing issues like these, and assured that repair work is currently underway.
Ayodhya Mayor Girish Pati Tripathi told:
“We have done spot verification and formed different teams; 28 places have been identified as prone to water-logging, officials have been deployed to resolve these issues. Some places were prone to water-logging in the past too as they are in low-lying areas.
This is the first rainfall after the new construction, we are resolving all issues immediately.”
At the newly redeveloped Ayodhya Dham railway station, which was inaugurated a month before the consecration ceremony at the Ram Mandir, water was reported on both the ground floor and the first floor.
A worker mentioned the difficulty in completely draining out the water from these areas.
“Any project is given one year as defect liability period. These are minor issues and will be resolved soon. There is no dripping of the water from the roof, it is entering from unsealed gates and these issues will be resolved,” a Railways official said requesting anonymity.
