Ram Lalla idol for Ayodhya temple likely to be finalized this month
According to persons with knowledge of the situation on Thursday, the Ram Lalla statue that will be placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the opulent Ayodhya temple will be chosen later this month from the three idols that are now being carved by well-known sculptors in the temple town.
The foundation supervising the building of the opulent temple, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, has appointed a five-member panel of eminent seers to choose the presiding deity, which would show Lord Ram as a kid.
A Trust member who asked to remain anonymous said, “It is most likely that the three idols will be ready between December 15 and December 20 to go through the selection process.”
Karnataka and Rajasthan are the sources of two of the idols’ stones. Famous sculptors Satya Narayan Pandey from Rajasthan, Arun Yogiraj from Karnataka, and Ganesh Bhatt from Karnataka are carving idols in Ayodhya in private sites that are off-limits to the public.
Famous Mumbai-based artist Vasudeo Kamath’s drawing, which served as the model for all three of Ram Lalla’s idols, was submitted to the Trust.
A Trust member named Kameshwar Choupal said, “Ram Lalla’s 51-inch idol which is aesthetically closer to the deity will be selected.”
A member of the selection panel, Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, stated: “The idol must be a replica of five-year-old Ram Lalla.” It will be difficult to choose just one idol among the three. The sole standard that will apply is how much it resembles Ram Lalla.
Days before it is put in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple on January 22, the Trust will unveil the chosen idol to the public at a Shobha Yatra in Ayodhya on January 17. The five-day Pran Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony of Ram Lalla will begin on January 18.
