‘People will remember even after we are gone’: How the maker of Ram Lalla’s idol carved his place in history

When Avjeeta hears about her husband Arun Yogiraj finalizing the Ram Lalla idol to be installed in the Ayodhya temple, she is unable to control her joy.

“They have made us very proud, and the elders are also giving us their blessings as they have etched the family name in the history of our country. Even after we are gone, people will remember him and our family for our humble contribution to the Ram temple,” he told News18. “We are very excited, honored and also humbled. It is time for celebration; We are living the moment.”

selection

The Ayodhya Temple Trust asked three different idols depicting five-year-old Lord Ram to be prepared by different sculptors. Renowned sculptor Ganesh Bhatt of Bengaluru was selected along with his student Vipin Bhadauria, Arun Yogiraj of Mysore and Satya Narayan Pandey of Jaipur to create the 51-inch tall statue of Ram Lalla (child Ram). Finally, the idol created by Yogiraj was selected by a panel of experts for prana pratistha (consecration) in the temple.

“The idol is of a five-year-old boy standing on a lotus. He has a bow and arrow in his hands and has a divine smiling face. The eyes and face create a feeling of peace and reverence when you look at them,” the sculptor’s wife elaborated to News18.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi revealed on January 1 that the idol made by Yogiraj will grace the sanctum sanctorum (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple. “The selection of the idol for the consecration of Lord Ram in Ayodhya has been finalised,” Joshi said in a post on social media site X. The statue of Lord Ram made by our country’s famous sculptor Yogiraj Arun will be installed in Ayodhya. The minister also shared a photo of Yogiraj with the idol of Lord Ram.

“The idol of Arun depicts the infantile Rama, five years old, standing on a lotus, holding a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. Apart from this, the idol also has excellent carvings and designs. All the symbols related to Lord Rama are engraved on this 51 inch high statue. This is the best work ever,” said an official of the Ayodhya Temple Trust.

preparation and dedication

Vijeta told how Yogiraj had dedicated himself to creating the idol for six months, he wanted it to be imprinted in the eyes and hearts of every person who saw Lord Ram in the temple.

Describing the way the statue was created, he talked about the hours that Yogiraj spent watching small children of four to five years playing around his house, how he would notice their facial expressions, their smiles and how they Used to play and observe.

“He carefully observed their mannerisms so that he could bring out a childish but divine impression on the idol. He also followed Shilpa Shastra, the measurements, the jewellery, how it should be designed and the concept of designing it,” she said.

Winner said that a provisional drawing was provided by the Trust of how they wanted the statue to look. Yogiraj then researched over 2,000 photographs and illustrations to finalize the look. The sculptor spent many hours completing the face as his entire focus was on getting Lord Rama’s expression, form and eyes right.

“He was very dedicated to getting it right; In stone, you can have no mistakes; It is a monolith, and there is no room for error because it cannot be reversed. With each chisel, he concentrated 100 percent,” the winner explained.

To a question on what special rituals Yogiraj had to follow while working on the idol, the family said that in Ayodhya, prayers were offered twice a day, a strict sattvic diet provided by the trust was taken, and The members of the temple trust worship the idols two to three times a day.

“The ritual is followed every day. They work almost 24 hours a day because it is God’s work, and they want to make sure it is unique and incomparable with any other,” said Yogiraj’s wife.

Speaking about her inspiration, the winner praised her husband’s skills. He told how he would get inspiration and happiness when a piece of stone becomes an idol.

“It becomes something very attractive and inspires him to try something new every time,” he said.

Krishna statue made from rock

Arun Yogiraj has used a Krishna Shila (black stone) from Karnataka to carve the idol. Experts say the most attractive and durable sculptures are made from Krishna rock, which is found in the areas around Karkala, a small town in Karnataka, about 60 km from Mangaluru. “The stone, weighing 10 tonnes, 6 feet wide, 4 feet thick and about a foot long, was specially brought from Nellikaru village in Karkala about a month ago,” said a trust official.

The Trust is not using the two huge stones weighing 14 and 26 tonnes which came from Nepal on January 2, 2023, to carve the statue. “The two Devashilas were gifted to us by Nepal. These stones were calcite and quartzite and were procured from the Gandaki River in the Muktinath region of the Himalayan region. However, after consulting several saints, priests and experts, the Trust decided not to use Devshila from Nepal. “It was a difficult decision to take,” said Champat Rai, general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. The trust is yet to decide what will be done with Devshila.

Aruj Yogiraj comes from a family of five generations of renowned sculptors of Mysore. His father Yogiraj was also a skilled sculptor and his grandfather Basavanna Shilpi was patronized by the King of Mysore. His work has recently been appreciated by many people including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Awards and Recognitions

1) Visit and personal appreciation of the workshop by Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations.

2) Nalawadi Award 2020 by Mysore District Administration.

3) Honorary Membership 2021 by Karnataka Crafts Council.

4) South Zone Young Talented Artist Award by Government of India in 2014.

5) Shilpa Kaustubha by Sculptor’s Association.

6) Rajyotsava Award by Mysuru District Authority.

7)Honored by the Chief Minister of Karnataka.

8)Awarded by the Sports Academy of Mysuru District.

9)Amara Shilpi honored by Jakanchari Trust.

10) Participated in state and national level sculpture camps.

main work

1) 28 feet monolithic black granite stone statue of Subhash Chandra Bose for India Gate, Delhi, Government of India.

2) 21 feet monolithic stone Hanuman Hoysala style statue for Chunchanakatte, KR Nagar.

3) 12 feet statue of Adi Shankaracharya for Kedarnath, Uttarakhand.

4) 15 feet monolithic white marble stone statue of Dr. BR Ambedkar with pedestal, Mysuru.

5) India’s largest 10-foot monolithic white marble statue of Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Mysore.

6) 15 feet monolithic white marble stone statue of Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar with pedestal, Mysuru.

7) 11 feet monolithic modern art stone sculpture sculpted in the concept of “Creation of Creation” at the University of Mysore.

8) Bronze statue of UR Rao installed at ISRO, Bengaluru.

9) 5 feet statue of Lord Garuda in Mysuru.

10) 7 feet high statue of Lord Yoganarasimha Swamy in KR Nagar.

11) Statues of Sir M Visvesvaraya.

12) Statues of Dr BR Ambedkar.

13) Idols of Lord Panchmukhi Ganapati, Lord Mahavishnu, Lord Buddha, Nandi, Swami Shivbala Yogi, Swami Shivkumar and Goddess Banashankari were installed in various temples.

14) Hand made pavilions, work of various stone pillars etc.

true calling

After obtaining his MBA degree, Arun Yogiraj initially worked in a private company for some time but soon realized that he was not “corporate material”. Listening to his conscience and considering his family’s heritage, in 2008 he chose the profession of sculpture, which was innate in him.

Recently, the 30-feet statue of Subhash Chandra Bose designed by Arun Yogiraj in the grand canopy behind Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate remained the center of attraction. He designed the statue on the instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who wanted to install a statue of him at India Gate on his 125th birth anniversary to honor his contribution to the freedom struggle. Moreover, the sculptor presented a two-foot tall statue of Bose to the Prime Minister and won his appreciation.