Ayodhya's grand temple: Who is sculptor Arun Yogiraj whose Ram Lalla idol got selected for Garbha Griha

The Ram Lalla idol carved by distinguished sculptor Arun Yogiraj has been selected by the temple trust in Ayodhya. Union minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday said the idol carved by Yogiraj will adore the grand Ram temple days after the idol was finalised for 'Pran Pratishtha' (consecration) ceremony to be held on January 22.

In a social media post on X, Joshi said, “The selection of the idol for the Prana Pratishtapana of Lord Rama in Ayodhya has been finalized. The idol of Lord Rama, carved by renowned sculptor of our country Yogiraj Arun, will be installed in Ayodhya.” 

The grand consecration ceremony of Ram temple will be held on January 22.

Former Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa also congratulated Arun and expressed pride in the selection of Lord Ram's idol for installation in Ram Mandir.

“The idol of Lord Rama sculpted by the sculptor Arun Yogiraj of Mysuru has been selected for installation in the magnificent Sri Rama Mandir of Ayodhya, which has doubled the pride and happiness of the entire Rama devotees of the state. Heartfelt congratulations to ‘Shilpi @yogiraj_arun’,” Yediyurappa wrote on X.

Who is Arun Yogiraj? 

Sculptor Yogiraj hails from a lineage of five generations of renowned sculptors in Mysore. Yogiraj started his sculpting career at a young age and was highly influenced by his father, Yogiraj, and grandfather, Basavanna Shilpi, who enjoyed the patronage of the King of Mysore.

After pursuing an MBA and working in the corporate sector, Yogiraj started pursuing sculpting full time from 2008.

Besides Ram Lalla idol, Yogiraj has carved an array of impressive sculptures, including a 30-feet statue of Subhash Chandra Bose displayed behind the Amar Jawan Jyoti near India Gate in Delhi.

His other notable contributions include a 12-feet tall sculpture of Adi Shankaracharya in Kedarnath to a 21-feet tall Hanuman statue in Mysore.

The Ram temple complex will be 380 feet in length (east-west direction), 250 feet in width and 161 feet in height, and has been built in the traditional Nagara style. Each floor of the temple will be 20 feet high. 

The voting on the three idols of Lord Ram Lalla was held on December 30. The Board of Trustees of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra examined all three idols of Ram Lalla and had handed over their opinion in writing to the trust to take the final decision.

Renowned sculptors Ganesh Bhatt and Arun Yogiraj from Karnataka, besides Satya Narayan Pandey from Rajasthan have carved three idols of Ram Lalla.

The sculptors from Karnataka have used black stones while the sculptor from Rajasthan has used white Makrana marble. 

Also read: Ayodhya Ram temple inauguration: ‘Pran pratishtha’ ceremony at 12:20 pm on Jan 22; akshat distribution begins