Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Trust has yet to confirm about the selected Ram Lalla idol to be installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple even though one has been approved among the three shortlisted.
Union Minister Prahlad Joshi gave information of the selected idol by posting on social media last night. Out of the three sculptors, the statue made by renowned sculptor Yogiraj Arun of Karnataka has been approved, Joshi’s post said .
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Trust General Secretary Champat Rai said on Tuesday that he will not speak anything on this matter right now.
“Only the Murtikar Temple Committee will take the final decision on this,” Rai said.
Information has been received that the decision has been given on the idol, but the Trust will make it public on January 17, the day when a city yatra will be taken out in Ramnagari, he stated..
Joshi has written, ‘’Where there is Ram, there is Hanuman. The idol has been selected for the consecration of Lord Ram in Ayodhya. The idol of Lord Ram made by our country’s renowned sculptor, our pride Arun Yogiraj, will be installed in Ayodhya”.
For the construction of the immovable idol of Ram Lalla, the Trust had procured 12 high quality stones from Karnataka, Rajasthan and Orissa along with Nepal’s Gandaki River. When all these stones were tested, only the rocks of Rajasthan and Karnataka were found suitable for making the statues.
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Shyam Shila of Karnataka and marble rock of Makrana of Rajasthan were chosen due to their special characteristics. Makrana stone is very hard and best for carving and its shine lasts for centuries. At the same time, carving is done easily on the Shyam Shila of Karnataka. These rocks are water resistant and have a long lifespan.
The total height of the statue should be 52 inches and Shri Ram’s arms should be as long as his knees.
The Statue is in a standing posture on a lotus flower with bow and arrow in hand and childlike tenderness is reflected in it.
Arun Yogiraj, 37, whose idol is said to have been selected, is son of renowned sculptor Yogiraj Shilpi. He comes from a family of Mysore palace craftsmen. Arun’s father has also worked for Gayatri and Bhuvaneshwari temples.
Yogiraj, who has studied MBA, is a fifth generation sculptor. After completing his MBA degree, he also worked in a private company, but left the job in 2008 to become a sculptor.
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Apart from creating the statue of Adi Shankaracharya installed at Kedarnath, Yogiraj has also created the 14.5-feet white marble statue of Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, the white marble statue of Maharaja Sri Krishnaraja Wadeyar-IV and Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa in Mysuru.
Arun has also sculpted the statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose at India Gate.
