Terex Cranes has supplied Gammon India with two Terex CTT 331-16 flat-top tower cranes to help complete the $75 million Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. Terex Cranes supplied the cranes – one freestanding with a height under hook of 92.6 meters, and the other using a special single tie-in collar to achieve an under hook height of 120 meters – through its dealer Harsadhan International.
The temple is being built on the banks of the Ganges River in the holy town of Mayapur, West Bengal, India. When finished the ToVP will be the largest Vedic temple in the world. The ToVP is an ambitious project representing the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, known as the Hare Krishna movement. Combining modern technology, ancient science, timeless wisdom and lively culture, the temple is expected to be a popular spiritual destination.
The two cranes have another year or more onsite before the work on the temple is complete, in particular its main centerpiece dome, which will stand at a height of 113 meters, two meters taller than London’s iconic St. Paul’s Cathedral and 40 meters higher than the Taj Mahal.
The main dome houses the Vedic Planetarium, providing visitors with a tour of the various regions of the cosmic creation. Construction had certain restrictions making it more difficult to complete. The cranes were not allowed to be fixed to the temple structure. This meant specifying one freestanding crane and one with a collar, which is fixed into the ground using ground anchors. The pre-tensioning equipment for the collar was specially designed inhouse by Goverdhan Bhutada, head of plant fo Gammon India.
“Given the specific tower crane requirements and restrictions, the great 93-meter free-standing height of the Terex CTT 331 enabled us to complete the contract,” said Lucia Canali, application engineering manager for tower cranes.
