Behold, the world’s first 3D-printed temple

Siddipet, a district in India’s southern state of Telangana, is home to ancient historical landmarks and temples dating back to the 9th century. But since November 24, 2023, it is also the location of what is reportedly the world’s first 3D-printed temple.

The temple is dedicated to three Hindu deities — Ganesh, Shiva, and Parvati — with each idol housed in its own sanctum within the temple complex. The temple, which covers an area of 3,800 square feet and stands 35.5 feet tall, took around three months to print and was made using construction printers. The walls are made out of a mixture of cement, sand, and construction aggregate.

Other 3D-printed places of worship globally include a mosque in Saudi Arabia and another under construction in Dubai.

“We chose to print a temple for our first in situ structure because, if we could print this complex architecture and achieve design parameters, then we could print any structure,” Hari Krishna Jeedipalli, the managing director of Apsuja Infratech, told Rest of World . The Telangana-based company partnered with a 3D-printing construction company, Simpliforge Creations, to make the temple.

The temple is built according to the rules of the Agama Shastra, Sanskrit texts dating back to 1100 B.C. that outline the correct way to build temples and conduct rituals for Hindus. “We complied with the Shastra for the dimensions and aspect ratios of design parameters, but we also showcased the versatility of 3D printing when making the [sanctums],” said Jeedipalli. “For lord Ganesh, we designed the inner sanctum as a modak shape, which is his favorite sweet. And for goddess Parvati, we designed the sanctum as a lotus, her favorite flower.”

One challenge was printing intricate designs while ensuring the team followed the dimensions and rules noted in the scriptures they consulted, Jeedipalli said.

When 64-year-old Suresh Deshpande read about the 3D-printed temple in the newspaper, he said he was so impressed that he made the trip from Mumbai to Telangana just to visit it. “It’s really an amazing place,” he told Rest of World . “I’m a software professional, so I was interested in how they built all these different, intricate shapes with a machine. … But I also got a very spiritual feeling when I was there. We have a very ancient culture, and this is made through modern means. But spiritually, I still felt like I was in a sacred space.” ▰

Nadia Nooreyezdan is an independent journalist based in New Delhi.