Divine gift

Ram idol sculptor Arun Yogiraj is a master at bringing his imagination to life

- PRATHIMA NANDAKUMAR

ARUN YOGIRAJ, 38, has carved himself a special place in history. His sculpture of the lord Ram will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya for pran prathishthan (consecration) on January 22.

The Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which oversaw temple construction, had commissioned two other sculptors also for the main idol, G.L. Bhat of Bengaluru and Satyanarayan Pandey of Rajasthan. Arun’s work was finally chosen: a 51-inch idol of Ram as a five-year-old, standing and holding a bow and arrow.

The rare honour has Mysuru celebrating. People have been thronging Arun’s residence-cum-workshop in the heart of Mysuru, called Kashyapa Shilpakala Niketana, even though the sculptor is yet to return from Ayodhya.

“I am so proud of Arun; he has divine blessings,” said his mother, Saraswati. “I feel humbled that he got the opportunity to sculpt lord Ram’s idol at Ayodhya. I wish his father were alive to see this day.”

Arun is the youngest of three children of the famous sculptor Yogiraj Shilpi, whose father, B.S. Basavanna Shilpi, was a disciple of Shilpi Siddanti Siddalingaswamy, the sculptor and ‘rajguru’ of Mysuru kings.

Arun, who follows the Hoysala style of sculpting, has been carving idols for two decades. People admire his dedication, craftsmanship and the “divine charm” of his creations. He is an MBA.

He first received national attention for a 12ft statue of Adi Shankaracharya, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled at Kedarnath in November 2021. It was again Modi who unveiled Arun’s 28ft black granite sculpture of Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate in 2022. Arun gifted Modi a miniature of the statue at the event.