51 inches tall, black stone: What we know about Ram Lalla’s idol in Ayodhya
Champat Rai, the general secretary of the Ram Temple Trust, has shared the details of the idol of Lord Ram which will be installed in the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Rai said the idol of Lord Ram is in the form of a five-year-old child (Ram Lalla). It has been made using dark-coloured stone and is 51 inches tall.
“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 on Saturday.
Rai said the idol of Lord Ram would be placed on the ground of the temple. The idols of Lord Ram’s brothers, besides Sita and Hanuman, will be placed on the first floor of the grand temple but added that it would take another eight months.
The idol of ‘Ram Lalla’ carved by Karnataka’s renowned sculptor Arun Yogiraj will be installed in the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22. However, a formal announcement regarding the selection of the idol is awaited by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust.
The worship of the idol will begin on January 16 and it will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum on January 18.
“The length of Lord Shri Ram’s idol and the height of its installation have been designed in such a way on the advice of eminent space scientists of India that every year on Ram Navami, the ninth date of Shukla Paksha of Chaitra month, Lord Surya himself will anoint Shri Ram as sunrays will directly fall on his forehead at 12 noon making it shine,” Rai was quoted as saying by News18.
Rai said the idol of Lord Ram has been selected keeping in mind the softness of the face, look in the eyes, smile, and body among other things. He added that water and milk will not have any adverse effect on the stone.
Ayodhya’s Ram Temple ceremony
The grand consecration ceremony of Ram temple will be held on January 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will also share the dais with several other dignitaries.
More than 7,000 people have been invited to the ceremony by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust.
Earlier this week, Adityanath held a review meeting with officials regarding the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, wherein he directed the organisation of programs such as bhajans, recitation of the Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas, and Sundarkand in the temples of Ayodhya from January 14 onwards.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has also announced plans to live-stream the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of Ram temple on the booth level across the country.
The Ram temple will be opened for devotees on January 23.