New Delhi: A religious structure taller than Vatican’s St Peter’s Basilica and Egypt’s Pyramid is under construction at Vrindavan, 140 km southeast of New Delhi.
The skyscraper temple is “a unique project never before undertaken on earth. It is the world’s tallest religious structure under construction,” says a press note from Arjun Nath Das , senior executive (Communication), Vrindavana Chandrodaya Mandir.
The temple complex will not be “another sacred edifice of concrete, stone and glass,” but “a project” dedicated to play “a larger role in shaping the future of the world,” he claims.
“The hi-tech presentations of Lord Krishna, his pastimes and his teachings will unleash a new wave of spiritual culture in the modern day that will uplift and divinize society with sublime character,” the press note adds.
The project, conceived by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), or the Hare Krishna Movement, comprises a grand Lord Krishna temple at the center, a theme park and several social intervention programs.
The temple’s iconic architecture will harmoniously combine elements of both Indian temple architecture and modern architecture, the press note adds.
“Lord Krishna has been an inspirational figure in world history. The greatest saints, scientists and thinkers have held His Bhagavad-Gita in the highest esteem. His sublime activities have inspired some of the most evocative expressions in poetry, art, music, dance, and architecture,” says Dasa’s note.
The temple complex will cover about 5.5 acres and rise to a height of 213 metres with 70 floors, compared to St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican (128.6 m) and The Pyramids of Egypt (128.8 m).
The temple complex will house the Krishna Lila Theme Park with 3D and 4D rides on the lines of Disneyland and Universal Studios in the United States to give visitors “an immersive experience of Lord Krishna’s pastimes as described in scriptures like Srimad Bhagavatam.”
Lord Krishna’s devotees consider Vrajaas the holiest place in the entire universe. It was in this patch of land that Lord Krishna enacted His intimate childhood pastimes. Vraja comprises 12 forests, including Vrindavan (forest of Tulasi shrubs). The temple will put up small replicas of these forests for visitors to experience the holy land as it was 5,000 years ago, the press note claims.
The project managers have consulted the world’s leading firms and professionals for this unique venture. Its structural engineering consultants are Thronton Tomasetti, who built skyscrapers such as the Petronas Towers of Malaysia, the Taipei 101 in Taiwan and now the world’s tallest building the 1.6 Km high Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia.
Rowan Williams Davies and Irwin Inc, a Canadian firm of consulting engineers and scientists who has worked for the Burj Kahalifa in Dubai, will provide wind-engineering services for the Indian project. Through their scale modelling of the temple and wind tunnel studies, the structure has been designed to tolerate wind speeds ten times that of cyclone Hudhud that struck Orissa in 2015.
The project also plans to become a source and support for social intervention programs. They include “Akshaya Patra” mid-day meal program for the economically challenged children. The program currently serves mid-day meals to 1.5 million children daily in nearly 11500 schools at 27 locations across India.
Dasa’s note says the project is an attempt to fulfil the desire of ISKCON founder Acharya Srila Prabhupada that the glories of Lord Krishna and Sri Vrindavana Dham be spread all over the world to free people of all castes, creeds, colors, nationalities or genders from the “sufferings of material existence and find everlasting happiness through Krishna consciousness.”