Ahead of the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ayodhya railway junction is undergoing a facelift with the aura of Treta Yug for pilgrims. The revamped railway station will see refurbished platforms, new signboards, escalators, lifts, and murals of Lord Ram painted on walls – which will be inaugurated by PM later this week.With encompassing Hindu mythology in its overall appearance, the superstructure of the railway station is inspired by the Nagara style of architecture and Lord Ram himself. Further, the architecture of the station has ensured that the building fulfills the modern requirements of being eco-friendly and can sustain the pressure of the peak rush of nearly 60,000 passengers on festivals.“We are carrying out the revamp of the railway station in a manner as to make it resemble the facade of Ram Temple. It would also reflect the historical significance of Ayodhya. While it would resemble a temple from the outside, it would be equipped with the latest technology for the ease of passengers. It already has a circulation capacity of 50,000-60,000 people and we are only in Phase 1 of the project. Work in the second phase will begin soon,” the District Magistrate of Ayodhya, Nitish Kumar told the media.
An ambitious project with a touch of history
While interacting with the media, one of the architects, Namit Agarwal said, “It is a challenging and ambitious project. The site has space constraints as narrow streets lead to stations. The idea was to create a structure which is deeply connected with Ayodhya and its heritage, but also has direct connectivity with the arterial road of the city and a straight path leading to the temple.”
Minimum electricity and provision of rainwater harvesting
The first phase of the railway station development is on, where three platforms are being covered with concourse, with a roof design denoting lotus petals. Later, two more platforms will be developed with a new terminal in the southern part of the station.
The terminal will have a large waiting area and parking for pilgrims, taking the station’s capacity to over one lakh passengers. Further, the southern terminal will have direct connectivity with NH27.