Published 10:31 IST, December 20th 2020
See first glimpses of modernistic Ayodhya mosque and hospital plan unveiled by IICF Trust
The modern design of a mosque and a hospital to be built on a five-acre land in Ayodhya allocated by the Supreme Court has been unveiled by the IICF trust
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The design of a mosque and a hospital to be built on a five-acre land in Ayodhya's Dhannipur village allocated by the Supreme Court in the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case was unveiled by the trust on Saturday.
The Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) Trust in charge of building the mosque has released glimpses of the first architectural plan for the project. The first phase of the project will have a hospital along with the mosque. The foundation stone for the structure is likely to be placed early next year. The trust also plans to expand the hospital in the second phase.
The designs of the mosque and the 200-bed hospital were displayed by Prof SM Akhtar of Jamia Millia Islamia, who joined the programme through video conferencing. A community kitchen (saarvjanik bhojnalaya) and a modern library will also be set up in the complex.
In the presentation, the trust showcased the designs of several contemporary mosques from across the world. A computer-generated image of the planned mosque shows a massive glass dome across a picturesque garden. The hospital building with a futuristic design is seen behind the mosque.
"The design echoes the modern architecture of mosques around the world, and it will be egg-shaped without any dome. The two-storeyed mosque will not have any minaret. Solar power will be installed in the mosque, and around 2,000 people will be able to offer namaaz at the same time," he said.
The hospital will provide state-of-art facilities, much needed in the surrounding population, with a focus on the needs of the children suffering from malnourishment and expectant mothers, the IICF said in a statement. The building structure will also house the trust office and publication house focusing on research and a publication house of Indo Islamic Cultural-Literature Studies.
The name of the mosque is yet to be decided, and it will not be named after an emperor or king, said the IICF in a presentation of the project based in Ayodhya.
"The construction work of the mosque was scheduled to begin from January 26, but in this period getting the map approved seems to be difficult, hence the construction is likely to begin from August 15," Athar Husain, secretary of IICF told reporters.
Supreme Court's historic Ayodhya verdict
After a protracted legal tussle, the Supreme Court had on November 9, 2019, ruled in favour of the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot an alternative five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque at a "prominent" place in the holy town in Uttar Pradesh.
The 16th-century Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was demolished on December 6, 1992, by 'kar sevaks' who claimed that an ancient Ram temple stood at the same site.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to Ayodhya after 29 years in August this year for the "Bhoomi Pujan" ceremony of the temple. PM Modi, who in 1990 was one of the organisers of the nationwide campaign for the construction of Ram temple, laid a silver brick as part of the ground-breaking ceremony.
The 161-feet tall Nagara style Ram temple would have a shikhara over the sanctum sanctorum along with five domes and 360 pillars. The temple is said to be completed in 3 to 3.5 years.
09:54 IST, December 20th 2020