51-Inches-Ram Lalla Idol: As the ‘pran prathistha’ ceremony of the Ram Temple nears, the idol prepared by Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj has been selected for installation in the ‘garbha griha’ sanctum sanctorum of the new temple.
Champat Rai, Secretary of Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, said that 11 of the 15 members of the Trust chose the idol. The old idol would also be installed in the sanctum sanctorum.
Yogiraj was among the three sculptors who were shortlisted to carve the Ram Lalla idols, which depicted a five-year-old 51-inch-tall Ram Lalla in standing form. The other two are Ganesh Bhatt and Satyanarayan Pandey.
While Yogiraj and Bhatt are from Karnataka, Pandey hails from Jaipur, Rajasthan.
The new idol weighs 150-200 kgs was brought inside the sanctum sanctorum on Wednesday night, Shri Ram Mandir Construction Committee chairperson Nripendra Mishra said. A puja was performed before bringing the idol inside.
The pran prathistha ceremony of the Ram Temple will begin at 12.20 PM, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Chief of the Trust Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.
Along with them, it will also be attended by the trustees of the temple trust, seers of about 150 sects and over 500 people associated with the Ram Mandir.
Yogiraj hails from a family of sculptors, who have been sculpting idols for five generations. The family once worked for the royal Mysore family.
He has also carved the 30-feet statue of Subhas Chandra Bose, which is placed near India Gate in New Delhi.