Ayodhya Ram Mandir: Ram Lalla Idol Brought Inside Sanctum Sanctorum | WATCH

The Ram Lalla idol was taken into the Ram temple premises in Ayodhya last night with the help of a crane. The idol was brought inside the sanctum sanctorum in the wee hours of Thursday and will be installed later in the day.

A special puja was held in the sanctum sanctorum before bringing the deity’s idol in, using a crane.

Shri Ram Mandir Construction Committee chairperson Nripendra Mishra earlier noted that the idol will likely be installed in the sanctum sanctorum on Thursday, a PTI report said.

Preparations were taking place in full swing in Ayodhya yesterday as a flower decorated truck brought in Lord Ram’s idol. The idol was taken inside amid chants of “Jai Shri Ram”.

The 51-inch-tall idol, created by Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj, was selected by the Ayodhya Temple trust for the pran pratishtha at the temple.

Yogiraj used a Krishna Shila (black stone) from Karnataka to carve the idol. Experts have said that the most attractive and durable sculptures are amde with Krishna Shila, which is found in the areas around Karkala, a small town in Karnataka.

One of the temple trust officials said, “Arun’s idol depicts a balswaroop (infant) Ram, a five-year-old, standing on a lotus, carrying a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. Besides, the statue also has fine carvings and designs. All signs related to Lord Ram are carved on the statue which is 51 inches tall. It’s the finest work that can ever be done.”

“The stone, weighing 10 tonnes, 6 feet wide, 4 feet thick and almost one foot long, was specially brought from Nellikaru village in Karkala, almost a month ago,” another official had said.

The pran pratishtha ceremony will take place is scheduled to take place at 12:20 pm on January 22. Presiding over the ceremony along with Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive in Ayodhya on January 21.

Over 7,000 people including cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan and industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani have been invited to the ceremony by the temple trust.

(With PTI, ANI inputs)