MYSURU: Although people are eagerly waiting for the Ram Lalla idol’s consecration in Ayodhya’s Ram temple on January 22, they know little about the challenges faced by its creator Arun Yogiraj from Mysuru.
From following a strict ‘Sathvik’ diet to a serious eye injury, Yogiraj overcame all of them.
Yogiraj was one of the three sculptors shortlisted to carve the idol. He did not meet his family members (for six months) till he completed the work on the “perfect idol” in Ayodhya.
In Ayodhya, he used to start the day with a puja to his “native deity”, besides participating in the prayers and rituals offered by the pandits there. The pandits’ Ram kathas helped him visualise and carve the idol.
“While carving the idol, he almost lost one of his eyes when a tiny piece of stone pierced the cornea. He underwent surgery immediately and was on antibiotics and painkillers for some days. However, this did not deter him from coming up with the masterpiece,” Yogiraj’s wife Vijetha told The New Indian Express after seeing him in Ayodhya with his team for “Prana Pratishtapana” of the idol.
An MBA graduate, Yogiraj chose to be a full-time sculptor following in the footsteps of his ancestors. After Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust selected his Ram Lalla for installation, Yogiraj said the biggest reward for him would be if people were happy with his work. However, what disappointed him was the photos of the idol going viral even before the “Prana Pratishtapana” ritual.
The idol was carved out of a stone block extracted from a quarry at Gujje Gowdana Pura in Mysuru district. It is the oldest rock found in South India, according to Dr C Srikantappa, UGC-Emeritus Professor (retired), Department of Earth Science, the University of Mysore.
This block has its roots in the plutonic igneous rock of upper mantleorigin, he said.
Sringeri seers won’t attend but will send blessings
Chikkamagaluru: Sri Sringeri Sharada Mutt Administrative Officer Dr Gowrishankar confirmed on the mutt’s official website that senior pontiff Sri Bharathi Theertha Swamiji and junior pontiff Sri Vidhushekare Bharathi Theertha Swamiji will not attend the Ram Mandir Pran Prathishtana ceremony at Ayodhya on January 22. Dr Gowrishankar stated he will instead participate in the ceremony as a representative of the mutt, while the seers will send their blessings. Sri Vidhushekara Bharathi Theertha Swamiji, who is also trustee of the Ram Mandir Trust, asked devotees to chant Bhagavan Sri Rama Bhujanga Stotra. Meanwhile, rubbishing the rumours doing the rounds that the two seers are against participating in the Ayodhya consecration ceremony, Dr Gowrishankar advised the public not to lend their ears to such falsehood, highlighting the inseparable relationship between the Sringeri Mutt and Ayodhya.
