Ram Temple: The idol of 'Ram Lalla' carved by Karnataka's renowned sculptor Arun Yogiraj will be installed in the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Yogiraj is from Mysuru. The Ram Temple is set for opening on January 22 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday announced that the statue of Ram Lalla sculpted by Arun Yogiraj of Mysuru has been selected for installation at the Ayodhya temple.
"'Where Rama is, there is Hanuman'. The selection of the idol for the Prana Pratishtapana of Lord Rama in Ayodhya has been finalized. Renowned sculptor of our country is our proud Mr. Arun Yogiraj. The idol of Lord Rama carved by him will be installed in Ayodhya. This is another example of Rama Hanuman's inextricable relationship. There is no mistaking that this is an important service to Ramlallani from Karnataka, the land of Hanuman," he said in an X post.
Sharing his happiness on 'X', BJP stalwart and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said, "The idol of Lord Rama sculpted by the sculptor Arun Yogiraj of Mysuru has been selected for installation in the magnificent Sri Rama Mandir of Ayodhya, which has doubled the pride and happiness of the entire Rama devotees of the state. Heartfelt congratulations to ‘Shilpi @yogiraj_arun’."
Yediyurappa’s son and BJP state president B Y Vijayendra too hailed Yogiraj for making the state and Mysuru proud. "It is the pride of Mysuru, the pride of Karnataka that the idol of Ram Lalla carved by the unparalleled sculpture Arun Yogiraj will be enshrined in Ayodhya on January 22," Vijayendra said.
He added that Karnataka has a deep connection with Lord Rama as Kishkindha is located in this state. It is Kishkindha where Rama’s ardent devotee Hanuman was born.
'Not yet received any official communication': Arun Yogiraj
Speaking to news agency PTI, Arun Yogiraj said he has not yet received any official communication about whether the idol he had sculpted has been accepted.
According to him, he was among the three sculptors selected by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra to carve an idol of ‘Ram Lalla’. "I am happy that I was among the three sculptors from the country who were selected to carve the idol of ‘Ram Lalla’," Yogiraj said.
"The idol should be of a child, who is divine too, because it is the statue of the incarnation of God. People who look at the statue should feel the divinity," Yogiraj said.
"Keeping the divinity aspect along with the child-like face in mind, I started my work about six to seven months ago. Now I am extremely happy. More than selection, people should appreciate it. Only then, I will be happy," the sculptor said.
The acclaimed sculptor, known for crafting the idol of Adi Shankaracharya at Kedarnath and the statue of Subhash Chandra Bose near India Gate in Delhi, acknowledged that the task was challenging.
Voting for selection of Lord Ram idol
The voting on the three idols of Lord Ram Lalla was held on December 30. The Board of Trustees of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra examined all three idols of Ram Lalla and had handed over their opinion in writing to the trust to take the final decision.
Renowned sculptors Ganesh Bhatt and Arun Yogiraj from Karnataka, besides Satya Narayan Pandey from Rajasthan have carved three idols of Ram Lalla.
The sculptors from Karnataka have used black stones while the sculptor from Rajasthan has used white Makrana marble. The idols of Ram Lalla are based on the sketch presented to the Trust by Mumbai-based renowned artist Vasudeo Kamath.
