Chandrakant Sompura Wiki, Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Chandrakant Sompura is an Indian architect. He is the chief architect of the Ram temple built in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Wiki/Biography

Chandrakant Sompura was born in 1943 (age 80 years; as of 2023) in Gujarat, India. He originally belonged to a town named Palitana in Gujarat; however, his family moved to Ahmedabad in the 1960s because of work. ^[1]Mumbai Mirror

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 8″

Hair Colour: Salt & Pepper (semi-bald)

Eye Colour: Black

Family

Chandrakant Sompura belongs to a family of architects. He is the 15th generation of the family. ^[2]Deccan Herald His grandfather, Prabhashankar Sompura, designed the renovated Somnath temple in Prabhas Patan, Gujarat, in 1949. ^[3]First Post Prabhashankar Sompura was a Padma Shri recipient. His family is also known for constructing the Akshardham temple complex in Gujarat, the Swaminarayan mandir in Mumbai, and the famous Birla Mandir in Kolkata. ^[4]First Post

Parents & Siblings

His father, Prabhakar Sompura, designed the Somnath Temple in Gujarat and the Krishna Janmasthan Temple in Mathura, which is considered the birthplace of Lord Krishna. ^[5]Our Vadodara ^[6]India Times

Wife & Children

He is married to Shobha Sompura, an architect. He has two sons named Nikhil Sompura and Ashish Sompura. Both sons handle their father’s business of construction.

Career

He has constructed more than 130 temples both in India and overseas including Swami Narayan Temple in Gandhinagar, Ambaji Temple in Palanpur, Akshardham temple in Ahmedabad,  and several others.

Ram Temple Construction

Around 32 years before the construction of the Ram Temple, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader, Ashok Singhal, reached out to Sompura in 1989-90 through the Birla family to create a design for the Ram temple. Sompura, accompanied by Ashok Singhal, visited the site for the first time to assess the land. In an interview, while talking about his first visit to the temple’s site with Ashok Singhal, he said,

Mr Ashok Singhal (former VHP leader) decided in 1988 that the temple should be constructed here and he reached out to GD Birla. Our family had been working with Mr Birla for decades. So I got a call from Mr Birla and he asked me to come to Delhi, visit Ayodhya with him and prepare the design for the temple. At that time, we were not allowed to take measuring tapes. I was told to just have a look around alone. It was very difficult for me to envision a temple without proper measurement. So, I used my feet and counted the steps. I remembered all the steps – from left to right, across, and replicated the design inside a big hall where I could take proper measurements.” ^[7]NDTV

Chandrakant prepared the design of the Ram temple in 1989. Later, Sompura and his sons, Ashish and Nikhil, enhanced the design of the temple, considering the project’s large scale. ^[8]CNBC TV 18 In November 2019, Sompura mentioned that about 40 per cent of the stone carvings had been finished. He alleged that the construction would be done within 24 to 30 months after laying the foundation.

According to Sompura, The Ram Temple made by him is the ‘first temple in the world’ to undergo a 3D structural analysis before building, making sure it can withstand earthquakes up to magnitude eight on the Richter scale. ^[9]First Post On 22 January 2024, the consecration ceremony was held at the Ram Temple.

#WATCH | Ayodhya Ram Temple illuminated beautifully after the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony pic.twitter.com/UrMFdEQUgQ

— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2024

Awards, Honours, Achievements

• 2019: Bharat Gaurav Award

• 2020: Vastu Shilpi Award

• 2021: Ram Janambhoomi Shilpi Award

• 2023: Amrit Ratna

Facts/Trivia

• Chandrakant Sompura is considered one of India’s most influential temple architects. He has played a significant role in reviving and preserving ancient Indian temple architecture and culture. He has also been a source of inspiration for many young architects and students, encouraging them to choose temple design as a career path.

• He did not have any formal training in architecture. ^[10]Deccan Herald