Meet Arun Yogiraj Whose Lord Ram’s Idol Finalised for Temple in Ayodhya

The idol of Hindu deity Lord Ram to be installed in the grand temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh will be carved by renowned sculptor Arun Yogiraj.

“Where Rama is, there is Hanuman [the monkey deity and Ram's companion]. The selection of the idol for the Prana Pratishtapana of Lord Rama in Ayodhya has been finalised. The idol will be carved by renowned sculptor of our country Arun Yogiraj," Federal Minister Pralhad Joshi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday night. "This is another example of inextricable relationship of Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman.”

The grand temple of Lord Ram will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple will have a 51-inch idol depicting a five-year-old Ram Lalla — the child form of Lord Ram.

Yogiraj’s Family Elated

Despite tweets from Federal Minister Joshi and former Karnataka State Chief B.S. Yediyurappa, the family of Arun Yogiraj is still waiting for the official confirmation of his selection as the artist.

The family of the Mysore-based sculptor is elated with the news reports of the final decision.

“We are very excited and feeling blessed to get an opportunity to be a part of such an honorary project. The whole family is very proud of Arun,” the sculptor’s wife Vijetha Yogiraj told Sputnik India.

Praising her husband for his diligence, Vijetha said that he works for more than 10 hours every day and for projects which have national significance. He pays close attention to detail, because there can be no room for error in such important projects.

Speaking of the struggles the family has faced, Vijetha said there had been ups and downs in their lives, but sculpting had gained their family recognition.

All You Need to Know About Arun Yogiraj

Arun Yogiraj is the descendent of five generations of sculptors and has been carving since the age of 11 years. His grandfather Basavanna Shilpi was patronized by the King of Mysore, while his father Yogiraj was also a skilled sculptor.

“Arun learned sculpting from his father and has over time improvised his skills to create masterpieces,” Vijetha stated.

Before adopting sculpting as a full-time career, Arun Yogiraj completed an MBA and worked for a private company.

He has carved a 12-foot statue of Adi Shankaracharya which is installed in Kedarnath in Uttarakhand and a 30-foot statue of Subhash Chandra Bose, installed behind the Amar Jawan Jyoti behind the India Gate.

Both the statues were unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Before making the statue of Bose, he had presented Modi with a two-foot statue of the freedom fighter, which the Prime Minister shared on X.

Along with those works, a 21-foot statute of Hanuman in Mysuru’s Chunchanakatte and a 15-foot sculpture of BR Ambedkar in Mysuru have also been carved by the sculptor.

He has received several awards and honours from the State Chief of Karnataka, the Mysuru District Authority, the Indian Government, the United Nations and others.

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