51-inch-tall idol of Lord Ram Lalla made by Jaipur-based sculptor reaches Ayodhya

Chandresh Pandey, the sculptor of the idol, said that he was among the artists who were tasked with carving Lord Ram Lalla's statue, which would then be selected to be installed in the Ram Temple on January 22--the consecration ceremony.

"This idol has been made in Jaipur. There was a condition that only that design would be selected, which would be made inside Ayodhya. This idol has a fusion of Lord Ram and Lord Vishnu with a touch of childlikeness. I could not prepare it in Ayodhya because my wife had collapsed. So, I prepared the idol in Jaipur," he said.

Pandey said, "This design, however, is out of the race as of now, but Champat Rai, the General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, has accepted my idol."

He added that, apart from the abovementioned condition, this statue is not fit to be installed because the trust has already finalised the design.

The idol of 'Ram Lalla' carved by Karnataka's renowned sculptor Arun Yogiraj will be installed in the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Days after the design was finalised, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said that a renowned idol-maker from the 'land of Hanuman' will see his piece of creation find pride of place at the Ram Temple on January 22.

With Karnataka home to a grand Hanuman temple and believed to be the birthplace of the deity, Joshi termed the selection of the idol shaped by a sculptor from the state for the Ram Temple as an "example of Rama-Hanuman's inextricable relationship".

"Where Rama is, there is Hanuman, The selection of the idol for the Prana Pratishtapana of Lord Rama in Ayodhya has been finalised. A renowned sculptor of our country, our proud Mr @yogiraj_arun, the idol of Lord Rama carved by him will be installed in Ayodhya," the Union Minister posted from his official handle on X on Monday.

"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," Joshi added in his post.

Meanwhile, idols of elephants, lions, Lord Hanuman and Garuda, said to be 'Vahana' of Lord Vishnu in Hindu mythology, have been installed at the entrance gate of the grand Ram Temple.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the consecration ceremony of the temple on January 22. (ANI)