Tent To Temple: As Ram Lalla Reaches Sanctum Sanctorum, Here's What Happens To Old Idol

The old idol of Ram Lalla which was so far kept in a makeshift shrine, will be placed in front of the new idol consecrated at the temple on January 22, said Ram temple trust's treasurer.

The old idol of Ram Lalla which was so far kept in a makeshift shrine, will be placed in front of the new idol consecrated at the temple on Monday, said Govind Dev Giri, the treasurer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Ahead of the ceremony, he informed on Sunday that more than Rs 1,100 crore has so far been spent in constructing the Ram Temple and another Rs 300 crore might be needed to complete the work, news agency PTI reported.

A 51-inch Ram Lalla idol was placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram temple last week. Three idols of Lord Ram were built from which the one sculpted by Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj has been selected for Pran Prathistha.

When asked about the other two idols, the treasurer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust said, "We shall place them in the temple with all honour and respect. One of the idols will be kept with us since we will need it to measure the clothes and ornaments of Prabhu Shri Ram. About the original Ram Lalla idol, Giri further added, "It 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.  

Ram Mandir Construction Likely To Incur Additional Cost Of Rs 300 Crores: Trust Treasurer

Notably, Dev Giri also talked about the cost incurred in constructing the Ram temple. He said more than Rs 1,100 crore have been spent and it is likely that Rs 300 crore more will be needed since the construction is not complete yet. One storey is completed and we are going to build one more storey.  

The selection of Idol was pertinent. On the selection of the Ram Lalla idol sculpted by Arun Yogiraj Giri said, "It was very difficult for us to choose one idol out of three. All of them are very beautiful all followed the criteria provided by us".  

Giri mentioned the criteria that were considered. The first criterion was that the face should be child-like with a divine glow. Lord Ram was ajaanbaahu (a person whose arms reach near the knees). So the arms should be of that length.  The one chosen for the consecration ceremony was stout and had a good personality. The limbs were in the correct proportion, PTI quoted the treasurer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust as saying.

"The delicate nature of the child was also visible to us while the ornaments were also very nicely and delicately engraved. It increased the beauty of the idol," he added.

When asked about how much time the trust members took to select the best among the three idols, Giri said, "I went to Ayodhya every month and visited the places where the idols were being carved. Those sites were barred from the public. The sculptors took around four to five months to build the idols. After those were finished, we took a look at the idols for a day and took a decision". 

"After 500 years, a special event is being organised in India, and we see it as Deepavali," he said. "We celebrate Diwali each year, but this is a historic one. After so much struggle, Lord Ram will be seated in his original place with love and respect. This is the feeling which is prevailing in the country". 

Giri lauded the youth of the country and said, "youths of the country are tilting towards spiritualism. They are intellectuals. They think logically and need scientific proof. Yet they are engrossed in spiritual and nationalistic emotions."