Chandrakant Sompura, known for his recent work on Ayodha’s Shri Ram Mandir, will be conferred with the Honorary Fellowship by the Indian Institute of Architects.
In the letter sent to Sompura, the Indian Institute of Architects mentioned that this honour is conferred in recognition and appreciation of his special interest, distinguished service, and enormous contribution to the profession of architecture. He will be felicitated and conferred with this significant honour during the inaugural session of the National Convention of the Indian Institute of Architects, to be held in Lucknow, on 9th February 2024. During the event, Sompura has also been requested to deliver a presentation on the Shri Ram Mandir built at Ayodhya.
Hailing from a long line of temple architects, Sompura belongs to the 15th generation of the family from Ahmedabad. His grandfather, Prabhashankar Sompura, designed the revived Somnath Mandir in Gujarat’s Prabhas Patan in 1949. Some of the notable achievements of Sompuras include Shri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Akshardham in Gujarat, Mumbai’s Swaminarayan Mandir, and the Birla Mandir in Kolkata. With no formal training in architecture, Sompura, who is also known as ‘Temple Architect’, has designed over 200 temples across India.
Some of the past recipients of similar honours by the Indian Institute of Architects include:
- Late Mahendra Raj – Structural Engineer and Designer from New Delhi
- Late Yadupati Singhania – Chairman & Managing Director, JK Cement Ltd. from Kanpur
- Shirish B. Patel – Civil Engineer & Urban Planner from Mumbai
- Sonam Wangchuk – Engineer & Founder of SECMOL, Ladakh
- Late Satish Gujral – Painter, Sculptor, Muralist, Architect & Writer hailing from pre-Partition West Punjab
- Late Ganapathi Sthapati – Sculptor and Architect from Chennai
- V. Suresh – Chairman, IGBC & Former Chairman & Managing Director, HUDCO from Mumbai
Shri Ram Mandir at Ayodhya
Proposed on the banks of the river Sarayu, Ram Mandir is designed as a traditional structure in Nagara style of temple architecture for a life span of over 1000 years. The temple uses sandstone, granite, Mirzapur stone, and Makrana marble for flooring and cladding. The structural elements are joined together by tongue-and-groove joints with copper pins and strips. The main Shikhara of the 380×250-foot temple is 161 feet high.
Source for Shri Ram Mandir, Ayodhya, Images: TATA Projects
8 Responses
I am an architect student in IIA, I want joit with Ar chandrakant sompura due to enhance my architectural imagination and skills.
Thankyou sir
Wrong practice. He has not qualified architect as per 1972 architect’s act. IIA gives membership on basis of council of architecture’s registration number. So how IIA can give hounerery membership to him. There are many contractors. Engineers they built excellent work but they cannot be titled as architects & given IIA membership. It is totally injustice with the people who formally took membership of IIA. IIA people have misused power & taken hasty decision in over enthusiasm & biasness towards religion. Surprisingly no practitioners & IIA members came forwards to raise voice against this misuse except Ashok goyel senior architect & activist.
Recognition given to an extremely talented person is gratitude. Even Western bodies recognise such achievement in legal, science & tech fields.
100% agree with you. If anyone talks about these illegal/unethical things happening in our country, they will be branded as anti national.
People are criticizing a simple ‘Honorary membership’ just because of their funny political choice.
They forgot thousands of politicians holding government posts and other eminent people regularly get honorary Doctorate from various universities. How is that justified?
For a cheap political biased mindset they forgot that honorary membership can be (and generally) conferred without their educational eligibility and that’s why it’s honorary.
So just refrain from posting such scraps.
Just by having qualification will not give great knowledge and skill. The Brihadeeswrsbtemple and many other temples in South India were built when there is no present universitys. Should we say those archetect guys do not have knowledge. If some one questions awarding/Sri Sompuraji I strongly condemn them. We are honouringnourselved by honoring Sompuraji. I salute him for his skills.
If we consider formal degree as criteria for fellowship then which is offered to knowledge of person not to person with formal knowledge which some times results into some questioning works by degree holders, is education is only about formal degree in form of paper and not knowledge, there are so many eminent personalities in their respective fields who are contributing to fields irrespective of desire of awards isn’t it
As a matter of fact by honouring a giant personality like Sompura ji, IIA itself is getting honoured. Indeed, we need to widen our horizon and instead of criticising IIA, we all should appreciate its grand gesture.