Serie Architects has completed a temple architecture design at Rajsabahgruh, the centerpiece building in the 100-ha masterplan development for the Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram, Dharampur, Gujarat, India. The Raj Sabhagruh is an ambitious complex, housing a 5,000-seater auditorium, classrooms, discourse rooms, a 1,000-square-meter museum, a gift shop and a 300-seater meditation hall, stacked within a 40-meter-tall building at the apex of a crescent-shaped 60-meter hillock.

Editor’s Note: “The design of Raj Sabhagruh Discourse Hall echoes a deep sensitivity toward spiritual context and a bold embrace of modern architectural innovation. It illustrates how contemporary architecture may be inspired by ancient traditions to create functional yet meaningful spaces. The most elegant feature of this complex is the fusion of architecture, landscape, and heritage, which creates an inviting and peaceful environment.” ~ Anusha Sridhar

This Temple Architecture Design is a Spiritual Sanctuary | Serie Architects

Raj Sabhgruh: A Divine Ascension

Awarded to Serie Architects in 2012 through an international invitational competition, the design of this temple architecture design draws its ideas from the Jain Samavasaran, a fabled temple, composed of a tapering ascension of platforms, housing humans, animals, and demi-gods in divine communion with a ‘Tirthankara’, an enlightened being, seated at the apex of this formation. Moreover, this mythical building represents the aggregation of knowledge—through discourse and learning—as building blocks, to bring devotees ever closer to enlightenment.

This concept is reified in all Jain temples, where the aggregation of self-similar elements creates lofty shikaras—curved, pyramid-like forms that cap the sanctum sanctorium at the heart of the temple and appear to reach for the sky. Serie’s temple architecture design consists of 13 stacked rooms, rotated 45 degrees as they stack upwards. This rotational stacking gives rise to an interlocking sheer wall structure. It is made up of thin, gently curved concrete sheer walls, perforated to let in natural light.

Lean Architecture

This lean architecture, combining structure as façade and space definers, aims to reduce the material used for the entire building. Programmatically, one ascends upwards from spaces of the discourse hall at the ground level, to experiential learning within the museum at the second level, deep study within classrooms at the third and finally to introspection within the meditation hall at the apex tier. A journey from speech to silence.

Circular Auditorium

A circular 5,000-seater auditorium anchors the plan at the ground level, accessed by a large circumambulating foyer with an array of 8 entrances radially placed at the cardinal and intermediate directions. Moreover, four curving and intersecting concrete arches span across the 54-meter diameter and 20-meter-tall concrete drum to create a column-free interior. Furthermore, the resultant square formed at the intersection of the arches forms the structural seat of the meditation hall placed above the auditorium.

An array of concentric, timber, acoustic baffles radiate outward from the centre of the drum ceiling, recalling the radial patterns of the intricately carved sky-domes found within the ceilings of the Maha-mandapa, the primary gathering halls of ancient Jain temples. The circular auditorium with the stage for the Guru, placed within its eastern quadrant draws the audience close to him in intimate dialogue and instruction. A suspended balcony provides clear sight lines to the stage while a flat auditorium floor allows for a flexible space where various programs and events can unfold.

Meditation Hall

The 300-seater meditation hall, placed above the auditorium, rises 20m to cap the building composition. It acts as a glowing lantern, with over 1000 glowing pins of light etched into its marbled surface, visible from the streets of Dharampur. Furthermore, a double structure of space frames holds up the exterior volume and interior space independently. An array of glowing, white acoustic panels rotates gradually within the interior of the hall. Additionally, drawing the eye and mind upwards to deep contemplation.

Sculptural Beauty of Makrana Marble

The exterior concrete sheer walls are clad in 50mm thick, hand-chiseled, rough-cut Makrana white marble bricks. Salvaged from discarded marble slabs, these small bricks accommodate the curvature of sheer walls, enhancing the facade’s texture. Moreover, utilizing discarded marble enhances the lean architectural approach of Serie’s design and reduces construction costs. Over 800,000 bricks were hand-laid over the 36 faces of the building’s volumes over two years. Furthermore, It reflects the same materiality as the monolithic trabeated structure of the Jain temple, completed prior. The rough cuts expose the crystalline structure of the marble, refracting and dispersing light in luminous tones. This also creates shifting hues across the building’s surfaces, changing with the sun’s movement throughout the day. Additionally, the circular windows bring daylight into the interior, adding a layer of visual depth and animating the monolithic form.

Timeless Dialogue

Moreover, Christopher Lee and Kapil Gupta, Principals at Serie Architects, explain, “We worked very closely with Ashram and the Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, listening to their needs and aspirations, responding with architectural ideas, and discursively refining them over a two-year long design period. We tested several iterations exploring typologies of sacred form. There was a deep desire to find an architecture that was contemporary, memorable and timeless, that could serve as a signifier for a young, growing Ashram”.

The architecture that emerges can accommodate a wide range of uses and evolves with the spiritual mission it serves. Furthermore, it serves as a backdrop for Ashram life, anchoring it as a place for knowledge and spiritual growth.

Plaza & Gardens

The building sits on an expansive plinth, a large plaza radiating outwards from its center. It connects the dining hall to the north, a 5000-seat amphitheater to the west, and the temple to the south. Moreover, the plaza is designed with cool, concentric white marble rings that reflect the heat of the summer sun. It is also adorned with rows of shade-providing ficus trees, enhancing its comfort and beauty. Furthermore, the plaza enables the social life of the Ashram, with thousands of devotees and visitors moving between buildings.

Their daily rhythms of discourse, study, and meditation are punctuated by meals and sessions of rest. The gardens, designed by landscape architects Ficus Design, are located to the west of the building, flanking the amphitheater. Additionally, they contain a sacred grove of 108 ancient species of trees that cascade down the slopes of the hill. Shaded pathways through the grove allow residents to move between their homes and plazas.

Fact File

Designed by: Serie Architects

Project Type: Religious Architecture, Auditorium, Public Architecture

Project Name: Raj Sabhagruh Discourse Hall

Location: Bilpudi, Dharampur, Gujarat

Year Built: 2024

Master Plan And Design Architects: Serie Architects

Photograph Courtesy: Rory Gardiner

Acoustical Consultant: Andy Munroe

Clients: Shrimad Rajchandra Mission, Dharampur

Structural Designers: LERA

MEP Consultants: ARKK Consulting

Lighting Consultants: Clarity

Source: Archdaily

Firm’s Website Link: Serie Architects

Firm’s Instagram Link: Serie Architects

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