Ram Mandir: All you need to know about new and old Ram Lalla idols and where they will be placed
Ram Mandir Ram Lalla Idol
The 51-inch Ram Lalla idol, sculpted by Arun Yogiraj, will be placed in Ayodhya's Ram Temple on Monday during the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony. The original Ram Lalla idol, the new one, and the two which were not selected will remain in the Ram Temple, said Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The old idol will be placed in front of the new idol, reported PTI citing Govind Dev Giri, the treasurer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. A new Ram Lalla idol will be placed as the old idol is five to six inches in height and cannot be seen from a distance of 25 to 30 feet. Currently, the old idol is in an interim shrine.
"It (the original Ram Lalla idol) will be placed in front of Ram Lalla. The original idol is very important. It is five to six inches in height and cannot be seen from a distance of 25 to 30 feet. That is why we needed a bigger idol," said Giri, as per PTI report.
The new Ram Lalla idol has been placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. On January 22, the eyes of the idol will be uncovered at 12:20 pm IST during the Pran Pratishtha rituals.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust selected the idol as it reflected the qualities theywere looking for. According to the trust, the new idol perfectly blends child-like innocence with divinity and royalty.
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"It was very difficult for us to choose one idol out of three. All of them are very beautiful and all followed the criteria provided by us," said Giri on the selection of the Ram Lalla idol sculpted by Arun Yogiraj.
"The first criterion was that the face should be child-like with a divine glow. Lord Ram wasajaanbaahu(a person whose arms reach near the knees). So the arms should be of that length."
The two idols which were not selected by the trust will also remain in the Ram Temple premises. One of them is a 51-inch idol carved in dark stone and another is carved in pure white Makrana marble from Rajasthan. They will be on the first and second floors of the temples.
(With inputs from agencies)