Ram Lalla’s idol to be finalised this month
The Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust will decide on the final idol of Ram Lalla to be placed in the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Three idols are being carved by renowned sculptors, and the best one will be selected. The decision will be made in a meeting scheduled for October 7 and 8.
pawan.dixit@htlive.com
Board of Trustees of the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust is likely to take a final decision on Ram Lalla’s idol that are being carved out in Ayodhya. The Trust, in its meeting scheduled this month, will select one of the three idols which will be placed in the sanctum-sanctorum of the Ram Mandir.
Champat Rai, general secretary of the Trust, has informed all 15-members about the meeting proposed on October 7 and 8 under the chairmanship of Mahant Nritya Gopal Das to select one 51-inch idol out of the three that are under final stages of completion in Ayodhya.
The Board of Trustees will also decide the place in the Ram Mandir where the remaining two idols of the Ram Lalla will be placed.
Three sculptors, three idols
Three renowned sculptors have been given the task to chisel as many idols of Ram Lalla (showing the Lord as a child) and the best of three will be selected to be placed at the temple’s sanctum-sanctorum in a grand ceremony proposed after Makar Sankrantri in January 2024.
Ganesh Bhatt of Karnataka is carving out the idol from Nellikaru rocks (black stones) which are also known as Shyam shila or Krishna shila due to resemblance of their colour with Lord Krishna.
Famous sculptor Arun Yogiraj of Mysore is carving out the idol from another rock sourced from Karnataka. Yogiraj had also carved out a 12-ft statue of Adi Shankaracharya in Kedarnath that was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year.
He is the son of famous sculptor, Yogiraj Shilpi, and hails from a family of Mysore palace artists.
Arun Yogiraj has also sculpted the 28-ft-tall black granite statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose that is placed at India Gate. The PM had unveiled the statue in September last year.
Satya Narayan Pandey of Rajasthan is chiselling the idol from white Makrana marble stones.
Ram Lalla’s idol based on Vasudeo Kamath’s sketch
Ram Lalla’s idol is based on the sketch of renowned Mumbai- based artist Vasudeo Kamath. He had presented pencil-made sketches of Ram Lalla to Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust.
Born in Karkala, a nondescript town in Karnataka, Kamath grew up in Mumbai. His 28 paintings that form his Ramayan series are globally acclaimed.
Kamath is known for his paintings based on mythology and historical subjects. He still practices the rare art of creating portraits from actual sittings.