Sculptor Arun shares photo of silver hammer, golden chisel used to chisel Ram Lalla’s eyes

BENGALURU: Sculptor Arun Yogiraj, the creator of the Ram Lalla idol installed at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, revealed the silver hammer and the golden chisel used to carve Ram Lalla’s eyes in Ayodhya.

Arun Yogiraj, sharing the photo today on his official ‘X’ handle, stated, “I thought of sharing the silver hammer, the golden chisel. In this, I have engraved the divine eyes (netronmilana) of Ram Lalla”.

In a recent interview with Public TV chairman H R Ranganath, Arun recounted the days when he was engaged in carving the idol of Ram Lalla. He said the temple trust gave him a muhurat to carve the eyes (netronmilana). In that auspicious time, he carved the eyes with a silver hammer and a golden chisel.

Thought of sharing this Silver hammer with the golden chisel using which I carved the divine eyes (Netronmilana )of Ram lalla, Ayodhya pic.twitter.com/95HNiU5mVV

— Arun Yogiraj (@yogiraj_arun) February 10, 2024

Sharing his experience, Arun Yogiraj said he was very nervous to carve Ram Lalla’s eyes though the body was sculpted as carving a child’s eyes was very challenging. He spent a lot of time at the Chinnara Mela in Mysuru. “An idea struck me after seeing a photo of little kids dressed as Krishna during Krishna Janmashtami. Based on this, I carved the face and eyes”, Arun had recounted.

Arun almost lost one of his eyes when a tiny piece of stone pierced the cornea. The Ayodhya Trust immediately admitted him to the hospital, where surgery was performed and the piece of  stone removed.

Arun carved the idol with one eye closed for around 15 days. “Neither I nor our family members were told about this. I was very scared when their co-workers told me about the matter. After a couple of days of treatment, he himself called and told me that he was fine. Then, I felt less anxious. Even then, he never took a break from carving the sculpture. All this is the grace of that Lord”, Arun’s wife Vijetha had recounted.