LUCKNOW: The first image of the full face of the new Ram Lalla idol surfaced on social media on Friday, days ahead of the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on Monday, though the eyes of the deity continue to be covered at the consecration site. The image that has gone viral appears to have been taken when the idol was at the workshop.
This newspaper was the first to report that Ram Lalla’s idol carved by Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj was the final pick for consecration at the sanctum sanctorum.
The 51-inch shyamal (dusky) idol, was placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple on Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the week-long rituals in the run-up to the January 22 consecration entered the fourth day on Friday. With just three days left, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath and the Ayodhya Temple Construction Committee chairman Nripendra Mishra took stock of the preparations. Security has been tightened. Multiple teams of the NDRF that are trained to tackle chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks have been deployed.
Height 4.25 ft
Width 3 ft
Weight 1.5 tonnes