Technical Experts from IIT-Hyderabad and CBRI Roorkee to Aid in Selection of Ram Lalla Idol for Ayodhya Temple
Ayodhya (UP), Dec 10: In a significant development, technical experts from IIT-Hyderabad and CBRI Roorkee will collaborate to assist in the final selection of the idol of Ram Lalla, destined for installation in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ayodhya temple.
Scheduled for finalization this month, the decision will be made in consultation with Kashi’s Shankaracharya Vijayendra Saraswati, renowned Varanasi scholar Ganeshwar Dravid, and several prominent saints from South India.
Temple sources reveal that reports from technical experts at IIT-Hyderabad and CBRI Roorkee will serve as the foundation for the idol selection process. The report will consider factors such as the stone’s durability, the longevity of its shine, and its resistance to stains from daily worship rituals involving embers and sandalwood applications.
The chosen idol, to be consecrated in the Ram temple, will be an immovable statue placed in the sanctum sanctorum. Simultaneously, the current idol of Ram Lalla, worshipped since 1949, will be reestablished as a movable idol within the same sacred space.
Crafted from stones originating from Karnataka and Rajasthan, three statues have been fashioned by sculptors Ganesh Bhatt of Karnataka, Satyanarayan Pandey of Jaipur, and Arun Yogiraj of Karnataka.
The ‘garbh grih’ (sanctum sanctorum) of the Ram temple, set to house the idol of Lord Ram, is in its final stages of completion. Champat Rai, General Secretary of the Ram temple trust, noted that the ‘garbh grih’ is nearly ready for deity placement, with electrical work and fittings already installed. The scheduled date for placing the idol of Ram Lalla in the ‘garbh grih’ is January 22, and the ground floor of the Ram temple is expected to be completed by December 31.