Fashion designer Manish Tripathi feels blessed to get the opportunity to make the vastra of Ram Lalla idol for the consecration ceremony held in Ayodhya. Having made the temple his base for the last 40 days, along with a team of 15 karigars, he prepared a special wardrobe that will be worn by the idol for the first seven days.
“We got pitambari fabric with zari work — silk woven with silver and gold threads — from Varanasi. Ram Lala is Chakravarti Raja Dashrath’s son and the vastra was for a 5-year-old, so it had to be grand,” he says.
Since he was designing clothes for a God, his biggest challenge was ensuring that it was grand: “The design had to be perfect. Making aastha my base, with a belief that I have been the chosen one, [I designed the clothes]. I was in soulful communication with Him, which helped me do this. The idol sculptor, Arun Yogiraj, was my roommate, which was a blessing. I was inspired to compliment his great work.”
{{/usCountry}}Since he was designing clothes for a God, his biggest challenge was ensuring that it was grand: “The design had to be perfect. Making aastha my base, with a belief that I have been the chosen one, [I designed the clothes]. I was in soulful communication with Him, which helped me do this. The idol sculptor, Arun Yogiraj, was my roommate, which was a blessing. I was inspired to compliment his great work.”
{{/usCountry}}For Tripathi, this was his costliest work till date and he says, “We have still not done the costing, and this was more than an assignment. Watching Ram Lalla in our dress fills my heart with emotions.”
He has been making vastra for Ram Lalla Virajmaan since 2021.
“My first vastra, worn by the deity, was on February 17 which was Basant Panchami and since then on special occasions and festivals I have been making vastras.”
Tripathi has prepared a seven-day wardrobe for the four brothers and the main idol. “Each dress is according to days. Somwar was white but for ustav it was yellow and now on according to days the colours will change.”
The old Ram Lala Virajmaan, who have been shifted to temple, are wearing vastra prepared by Tripathi. Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra general secretary Champat Rai announced his name during the pran pratistha ceremony on Monday.
He has also designed for several sportspersons, film stars and politicians.