LUCKNOW Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust is faced with an unexpected hurdle. While the trust has several sculptors with expertise to carve out idols from rocks out of Karnataka and Rajasthan, it lacks people with expertise to carve out Ram Lalla’s idol using the rare rocks brought from Nepal.
On Saturday, experts and members of the trust concluded a discussion held to finalise the rock to be used for Ram Lalla’s idol from the available options i.e. rocks from Nepal, Karnataka, and Rajasthan. Nripendra Misra, chairman of Ram Mandir Construction Committee, presided over the two-day meeting that ended on Saturday evening.
“We have people with expertise to carve out idols from rocks out of Karnataka and Rajasthan. However, no sculptor with experience in carving out idols from Nepalese rocks is available,” said Champat Rai, general secretary of Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust, on Saturday evening. “In the next two-three days, we will finalise which rock to use for Ram Lalla’s idol,” Rai added.
To recall, the trust procured two rocks from Nepal, six from Karnataka, and two from Rajasthan for Ram Lalla’s idol. The best suited rock is to be selected for the idol.
On the issue of pran pratishtha of Ram Lalla’s idol at sanctum-sanctorum of the Ram Mandir, Rai said that the trust is planning to organise an event in this regard in December this year but no date has not been finalised as yet, and the timeline could be extended as well. “No date has been finalised for pran pratishtha of Ram Lalla’s idol,” said Rai.
The general secretary of the trust also pointed out that the first floor of the Ram Mandir is most likely to come up by the coming September-October. He also said that Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES), a Government of India enterprise, has prepared a report on crowd management in Ayodhya that will be implemented by the state government in temple town. Earlier in the day, members of the Trust inspected ongoing Ram Mandir construction work.