Ayodhya: The first visual of Ram Lalla inside the Garb Griha of Ayodhya Ram Mandir, accessed by Republic, shows the 51-inch idol, carved in Krishna Shila Stone (Black), depicting a five-year old Lord Ram.
The Ram Lalla idol made by Karnataka’s renowned sculptor Arun Yogiraj was earlier selected for installation at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The grand consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla will take place on January 22.
Yogiraj has used the unique Krishna Shila stone from Bujjegoudanapura village in HD Kote taluk of Mysuru district in Karnataka to sculpt the 51-inch idol along with his team.
Most of the idols of Gods and Goddesses in temples across South India have been carved from Nellikaru rocks. These stones are referred as Krishna Shilas due to their identical colour as that of Lord Krishna.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest at the Pran Pratishtha event at Ayodhya Ram Mandir, which will also see several other prominent personalities from politics, business, sports, entertainment and other industries.
According to the temple trust, over 7,000 people, including politicians, celebrities, industrialists, saints and around 100 representatives from different countries will attend the ceremony.
The grand Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram will take place on the upcoming Paush Shukla Kurma Dwadashi, Vikram Samvat 2080, falling on January 22 in the Vikram Samvat 2080 calendar.
The programme of Pran Pratistha will be held in the ‘Abhijeet Muhurta’ in the afternoon at Ayodhya Ram Mandir. Notably, the rituals of pre-Pran Pratistha sacraments have started from Tuesday (January 16) already and will continue till January 21 (Sunday).
The gift package to be handed over to the guests who will arrive in Ayodhya on Jan 22 will contain exclusive items handpicked by Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. It will include the holy soil from the temple premises packed in a small glass bottle and a coin with an image of Lord Ram embossed on it in the gift pack.
Ram naami (saffron cloth), photograph of lord Ram and that of temple and a booklet will also be provided. The trust has ordered special laddus and at least 500 gm would be given in a packet.
