LUCKNOW: Champat Rai, General Secretary of Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, announced that the idol of Lord Ram to be installed in the ‘garbh-griha’ (sanctum sanctorum) of the upcoming temple will be in the standing position over a lotus and ‘shyamal’ (dark) in complexion.
In the video footage of the announcement available on social media, Rai is seen addressing the members of the temple trust late Friday evening. However, the temple trust general secretary did not clarify as to the creation of which of the two sculptors — Arun Yogiraj and Ganesh Bhatt — of Karnataka was chosen to be consecrated in Garbh Griha.
“It will be a standing idol with its height from the toe to forehead being 51 inches. It weighs 1.5 tonnes and depicts the deity as a five-year-old child,” said Rai. However, the announcement that the idol would be ‘shyamal’ in colour rules out the possibility of the selection of the one sculpted in Makrana marble by Satyanaraian Pandey of Rajasthan as it is white. The rest of the two sculpted by Arun Jogiraj and Ganesh Bhatt have been sculpted through two different dark shades of granite stones sourced from Karnataka.
Nonetheless, of the three idols, two except the one chosen to be consecrated in the garbh griha will be placed on other floors of the upcoming temple. Rai added that due respect will be given to the other two idols as well and they would be used by the trust.
Elaborating, the temple trust general secretary said that the garbh griha was designed in such a way that on the day of Chaitra Shukla Navmi (Ram Navmi) every year, the rays of the Sun would smear the lord on his forehead (surya tilak).
Notably, after the selection committee’s meeting, on December 29, to evaluate all three idols in contention and choose the best one conforming to all the required attributes for consecration, it was for the first time that an official statement came from the temple trust in connection with the selection of idol.
With the disclosure being made publicly, it is clear that one of the two idols prepared by Ganesh Bhatt or Arun Yogiraj would be placed in the sanctum sanctorum for the ‘pran pratistha’ ceremony as the two have used ‘shyamal’ (dark) shilas.
“The stone used in the chosen idol would not be affected by water, milk and other substances that are used as offering or bhog,” says Rai. The pran pratistha rituals would commence on January 16 and post-nagar yatra (town tour) of the deity, the idol would be placed in the sanctum sanctorum on January 18. During the yatra, the idol would be kept concealed in a cover and would not be out for public view. On January 22, it will take over as the presiding deity of the holy city in the presence of PM Narendra Modi.