1) God lies in the details – Each element of the temple was detailed out and made special

Create something valuable – The design of the temple was prepared by architect Chandrakant Sompura in 2020, per the Hindu texts, the Vastu shastra and the Shilpa shastras. The temple is 76 metres (250 ft) wide, 120 metres (380 ft) long and 49 metres (161 ft) high. The temple has a total of 366 columns made entirely of stone, each carved by a single craftsman to maintain consistency. These columns have 16 idols each to include the incarnations of Shiva, the 10 Dashavataras, the Chausath Yoginis, and the 12 incarnations of the goddess Saraswati. 

Eyes on sustainability – The temple is a marvel of modern engineering. Given its stone structure, it is designed not to just withstand the strongest earthquakes and most intense flooding, but endure for a millennium. Its robust base is further reinforced by a 21-foot thick plinth of granite, designed to protect the temple from moisture. 70% of the 71 acre land has been left green for conserving the environment. The temple probably is the first to have AI enabled security systems ready for the future. 

Create adequate Infra – The temple covers an area of 4.0 hectares (10 acres), while the remaining 23 hectares (57 acres) of land has been developed into a complex with a prayer hall, a lecture hall, an educational facility and other facilities including a museum and a cafeteria. According to the temple committee, the site has a capability to handle 70,000 visitors. Larsen & Toubro offered to oversee the design and construction of the temple. The Central Building Research Institute, National Geophysical Research Institute and the Bombay, Guwahati and Madras IITs have assisted in areas such as soil testing, concrete supply and design. 

Create valued collaboration – The temple construction work has been accomplished with 17,000 m3 (600,000 cu ft) of sandstone from Baansi in Rajasthan. No iron and steel has been used in the construction of the temple, and the fusing of the stone blocks has required ten thousand copper plates. In a culturally significant move, Thailand  symbolically contributed to the inauguration of the Ram Mandir, by sending soil to the Ram Janmabhoomi, building on their prior gesture of sending water from two rivers in Thailand to honour the temple. In 2023, two 60 million-year-old Shaligram rocks, 26 tonnes and 14 tonnes respectively, were sent from the Gandaki river in Nepal. These rocks were used to carve the idol of Ram Lalla in the sanctum sanctorum. A centuries old stone was sent from Sri Lanka, which belonged to the Ashok Vatika as a gesture for the Ram Mandir construction. On the occasion of the Bhoomi Poojan, soil and holy water were collected from several religious places across India, such as the Triveni Sangam of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati at Prayagraj, as well as the Kaveri river from its orgin at Talakaveri in Karnataka and the Kamakhya Temple in Assam. Soil was also sent from various Hindu temples, gurudwaras and Jain temples across the nation, as well as from the four pilgrimage locations of Char Dham, to bless the temple.

2) Marketing your project is key, Create the Hype – Euphoric launch with media, slogans and a common act!

Plan your moves and bring them all together – The run up to the final inauguration is testimony to the fact that a slogan to relate, a common act to perform by all and finally a mesmerising visual to behold can bring the whole world together to believe in something. Ghar-Ghar Ram Jyoti, 11 days of temple visits around the country, launch of Ramayana series on Television, Inauguration of Ram Setu… all this happening at the same time was not con-incidental, it was planned.

Timing is everything – Completion of the temple in record timing – August 2020 to January 2024 (including the construction challenges posted during COVID period), Being in real estate, we all know that this is nothing short of a miracle. But when one sets eyes on a goal, nothing else should matter. Your credibility rests on your word and in real estate, there is no better sounding word as ‘Completion’.

Use of 360-degree media – Always go global; the more people talk about it, the more they circulate it on their own will, the more we get success. The inauguration of the temple was hyped to the limit. Television, Hoardings, Radio, Social media, Pamphlets, Societies, Schools…. It was Saffron colour everywhere. It was not only money being used but also the planning was immaculate. Every day, every activity, every move to the final ‘Launch’ was planned to the tee. Deepmala’s were made across cities, countries and communities. World record of creating the largest clay diya, Time square unveiling of the Ram Mandir; it was undoubtedly an all-out global launch and it Worked!

Get people talking – There is no better publicity than word of mouth.  

Statistics matter and should be subtly popularised for higher recall. Numbers can be easily remembered and have high impact if they are out of the ordinary.  Genuineness of materials, their source and reason of use, expert partner names if utilised smartly can get people talking. Unique features always work hence attempt should be made to make every project a piece of art. Every feature thought through and valuable for the user.

Common emotional thread – For anything to become successful, it is imperative to find a common emotional thread which can bind our Target Group (TG) together.  Real estate decision making is usually highly emotional. If we are not able to connect to that emotional chord somewhere, no project can pull crowds; no matter how much money gets spent in media. On the other hand, if you hit it at the right spot… your success is guaranteed.

3) Its all about great leadership – There needs to be a face to the name.

Lead from the front – He fasted  for 11 days, went around the country visiting temples, was chanting the mantras with the pandits at Pran Pratishtha, walked bare foot on a chilly winter morning in front of the nation ….. he leads from the front. When people look up to someone/a developer/a project, they need someone like that. A face they can rely on. a person whom they can handover theirmonetary savings and aspirations to. Be brave to make a promise and DELIVER on it; yourself.

Smart thinking for longer tenure – It is important to have foresight. Some call it Vision and some Ambition. Whatever, you call it …. Make things happen. Create something that the world watches and is in awe of. Then you can use the impact of this unique creation to your advantage and make it your true legacy.    

Location matters but is not everything – Today Ayodhya is on the world map – a city probably no one outside India had  heard of. Great visionaries see potential, go with their gut and create history on it. There are living examples in Indian Real Estate like Gurugram, Powai, Palava and many more that  have defied the logic of Location. Great thinking, impeccable design and sustainable future ready developments can change the way the world looks at a particular location. All we need is a vision and dedicated will power to make a difference!