Mysore sculptor Arun Yogiraj, who prepared the idol of Ramlala, is in the headlines after the unveiling of the beautiful and dark idol of Lord Ram at the inauguration of the temple in Ayodhya.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had led the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Lord Ram in Ayodhya on January 22 after a long wait of 500 years.
As soon as people had darshan of Ramlala, they were surprised to see the gentle smile on the Lord’s face and lively eyes.
Sculptor Arun Yogiraj has revealed the secret behind the life-like statue of Ramlala.
He also mentioned the miraculous incidents that happened to him. He told that I made the idol following the orders given by Lord Ram.
Yogiraj told that it took seven months to prepare the idol, during which he was cut off from the world and spent time with the children.
Yogiraj also shared an interesting story about how every day a monkey used to come to his house and return after seeing the idol.
Sculptor Arun Yogiraj described the period during the last seven months of making the idol of Ramlala as challenging.
He said, I had to make the idol very carefully and that too following Shilpa Shastra. Because the idol was supposed to show the 5 year old form of Lord Ram, the idol should also have the innocence of a child.
In a conversation, Yogiraj said that the temple trust had set specific criteria to meet the idol – like a smiling face, angelic vision, a 5-year-old look and a prince or crown prince look.
Spent seven months emotionally with Ramlala
Yogiraj says that his family has been making idols for the last 300 years and I consider myself the luckiest person on earth that Lord Ram entrusted me with this work.
“For the last two days, I am very happy that people are liking the idol of Lord Ram. Seeing people happy is more important than thinking that my idol has been chosen. He said, ‘The idol of Ram Lalla belongs to everyone, it is not just mine.’ He says, “The last seven months, I spent very emotionally with Murthy. I also have a son and a daughter. I used to show the picture of the idol to my 7 year old daughter and ask her how Ramlala looks; She used to reply: ‘Appa is just like a child.’
I made the idol as Lord Ram ordered.
He stressed that merely completing the statue was not enough. It was important to show the softness and innocence of a child.
I believe that I started making the idol as Lord Ram ordered me. Yogiraj claims that “Ramlala was different during construction and different after it was stabilised.” I felt this was not my job. These look very different. God has taken a different form. He said the statue looks different in different stages. Ram Lala looked completely different in Pran Pratistha.”
Ram Lalla’s smile and his eyes
Yogiraj also talked about the mesmerizing smile of Ramlala. Yogiraj said, “During that time I had to spend a lot of time with the children and I was separated from the outside world. I developed a discipline and also spent a lot of time with Shila.
Yogiraj’s wife Vijitha also told India Today TV that Yogiraj read books on human anatomy to study facial and body features, which helped him a lot. “He also visited schools to know more about children and did in-depth research and observed how they smile,” he said.
A monkey used to come outside the house every day
Yogiraj also mentioned an interesting incident. Told that every day around 4-5 pm a monkey used to come to the door of his house.
He says, “When we used to curtain the gate during winter, he used to come and knock on the door. I am not sure if it is the same monkey, but he used to come at the same time every day. I told this to Champat Rai ji, General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. He said that perhaps he too would like to see the idol of Lord Ram.”