New Delhi: The newly consecrated idol of Lord Ram Lalla at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya is set to be called “Balak Ram” as it depicts the deity as a five-year-old boy in a standing posture, PTI reported, quoting a priest associated with the consecration ceremony on Monday.
“The idol of Lord Ram, whose consecration was done on January 22, has been named as ‘Balak Ram’. The reason for naming the idol of Lord Ram as ‘Balak Ram’ is that he resembles a child, whose age is five years,” Arun Dixit, a priest associated with the consecration ceremony was quoted as saying by PTI.
The 51-inch statue, crafted by sculptor Arun Yogiraj from Mysuru, is hewn from a three-billion-year-old rock. The azure-coloured Krishna Shile (black schist) used for the sculpture was extracted from Gujjegowdanapura in Jayapura Hobli, HD Kote Taluk of Mysuru. This fine-to-medium-grained, sky-blue metamorphic rock, commonly known as soapstone due to its smooth surface texture, is ideal for sculptors in carving idols.
The idol is adorned with Banarasi fabric, donning a yellow dhoti and a red ‘pataka’ or ‘angavastram.’ The ‘angavastram’ is embellished with pure gold ‘zari’ and threads, showcasing auspicious Vaishnav symbols such as ‘shankh,’ ‘padma,’ ‘chakra,’ and ‘mayur.’
The Rama Lalla idols for the temple were crafted by three sculptors: Ganesh Bhatt, Yogiraj, and Satyanarayan Pandey. As per the temple trust, one of the idols will be positioned in the sanctum sanctorum, while the remaining two will be placed in other temple sections.
The earlier idol of Ram Lalla, housed in a makeshift shrine, has now been positioned in front of the newly consecrated idol.
Following the pran pratishtha ceremony for Ram Lalla, devotees flocked to the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya as it opened its doors to the general public on Tuesday. A huge gathering of devotees, including locals and individuals from other states, had assembled outside the temple gates since Monday night under tight security measures, eager to enter the premises, according to the report.
