The Trust said that this 51-inch statue, carved by Mysore-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj, has been made from three billion years old rock. The blue krishna shale (black schist) was excavated from Gujjegoudanapura in Jayapura hobli in HD Kote taluka of Mysore. According to the Trust, it is a fine to medium grained, sky-blue metamorphic rock, commonly called soapstone due to its smooth surface texture, and is ideal for sculptors to create sculptures. The stone was found while leveling the agricultural land of krishna Shila Ramdas (78) and a local contractor, who assessed the quality of the stone. This attracted the attention of the temple trustees in ayodhya through his contacts.
What did priest Arun Dixit say?
The first time I saw the statue, I was thrilled and tears started flowing from my eyes. I cannot explain the feeling I felt at that time. Kashi priest Dixit, who has conducted about 50-60 pran Pratishtha rituals, said, out of all the pran Pratishtha rituals performed so far, this is the most 'supernatural' and 'supreme' for me. He said he got his first glimpse of the idol on january 18. The old idol of ram Lalla, which was earlier kept in a temporary temple, has been placed in front of the new idol.
What did sculptor yogi Raj say?
Yogiraj, who has received immense praise for his work, said, I have always felt that Lord ram is protecting me and my family from all the bad times and I strongly believe that it was He who chose me for the auspicious work. I didn't even spend sleepless nights working on the sculpture with precision, but I feel like I am the luckiest man on earth and today is the best day of my life. I learned the art of sculpture from my father. The idols of ram Lalla for the grand temple were made by three sculptors - Ganesh Bhatt, Yogiraj and Satyanarayan Pandey. The temple trust has said that the remaining two idols will also be kept in other parts of the temple.
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