The Ram Temple in Ayodhya, slated to be a unique architectural and engineering wonder, will bear the imprint of the dense Dandakaranya forests, where the Lord spent time during his exile. The entire timber for the temple’s ‘Maha Dwar’ (main gate), 118 other wooden gates, idols and animals carved on artefacts has been sourced from the verdant sweep of Allapalli in Gadchiroli district of east Maharashtra, now infamous for Maoists and its booby-trapped hinterland. The Ram Mandir Tirtha Kshetra Trust procured the entire teakwood stock to embellish the temple from Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM), a state-owned corporation engaged in commercial extraction of high-quality timber and bamboo. Earlier, the corporation supplied teakwood to the Central Vista Project in Delhi, DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, and Satara Sainik School. Talking to TOI, FDCM managing director Vikas Gupta said, “The Ram temple Trust learned about FDCM from Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, which recommended quality teak from erstwhile Central Province, now Vidarbha.” Sources told TOI, there were three choices before the trust — teak from Burma, Vidarbha’s Gadchiroli, and Kerala’s Nilambur. After Burma teak was rejected and Nilambur wood lost out due shrinking species, teak from Maharashtra topped the preference. Gupta said a team of the temple architects, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE), along with temple trust members visited FDCM’s Ballarshah depot and were satisfied with the quality of teak. “We supplied 3,000 cubic feet (CFT) teak costing Rs 2.25 crore till now and more is in the pipeline. Transportation was arranged by L&T, which is executing the temple work,” said Gupta. On why Central Province teak made the cut, Gupta said, “CP teak is valued because of its durability. It is less susceptible to insect attack due to high oil content. Besides, the wood here is strong, beautiful and imbued with the right colour and texture. Easy availability and its large size to enable intricate carvings were other reasons,” said Gupta. The finished teak is now being carved with religious symbols on the first floor of the temple and other places in Ayodhya. Gupta, however, said FDCM is yet to receive an invite for the mega inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22. FDCM regional manager Sumit Kumar recalled that the first team from Ayodhya visited Allapalli in January this year. “The team was meticulous about the selection of wood. Trust members and executing firms, craftsmen, architects, and quality controllers were also present. The team checked every sawed piece for quality and shortlisted the best pieces for final use,” Kumar said.