January 7, 2024: The Ram Lalla idol that will be installed in the Ayodhya Ram Temple will be made of dark granite, general-secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Champat Rai reveled on January 6. The height of the idol, which will be in the form of a five-year child, will be 51 inches.
“The idol made of Lord Shri Ram Lalla is in the form of a five-year-old child. The statue is 51 inches tall, made of black stone, and is very attractively made,” Rai told media. The idol will be placed at the ground floor of the three-storey temple, Rai added.
Watch the video posted on X here.
भगवान श्री रामलला की जो मूर्ति बनी है, वह पाँच वर्ष के बालक का स्वरूप है। मूर्ति 51 इंच की है, काले पत्थर की है, और बहुत ही आकर्षक बनी है। pic.twitter.com/yTRHqk0uYi
— Champat Rai (@ChampatRaiVHP) January 6, 2024
Celebrations to start the pran pratistha (consecration) ritual will start from January 16. After a chariot tour around Ayodhya, the idol will be permanently placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple on January 18. On January 22, it will take over as Ayodhya’s presiding deity with a formal consecration.
Earlier, three artists were assigned the task of building the perfect idol for the upcoming temple. While one sculptor (Satyanarayan Pandey) hails from Rajasthan, the remaining two (Arun Yogiraj and Ganesh Bhatt) are from Karnataka. The idols crafted in Karnataka are made of dark granite stones while the one built in Rajasthan is made of white makrana marble. The decision has been taken to select a dark idol has been taken after voting among temple trust members on December 29.
But, a formal announcement about the selection of the idol has yet to be made by the temple trust.
Rai also informed that iron has also not been used in the temple as it weakens the structure. “It has been designed in such a way that as the age increases, a very strong rock will be formed under the ground. No type of concrete has been used above ground, because the age of concrete does not exceed 150 years,” he said.
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