Ramlalla Sculptor Denied US Visa, Arun Yogiraj Expresses Disappointment For Not Being Able To Attend World Kannada Conference

Well-known sculptor Arun Yogiraj, who made the Ramlalla idol for Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya, was denied a US visa, Republic reported.

Yogiraj wanted to go to the US to attend the 12th AKKA World Kannada Conference (WKC 2024), scheduled for 30 August to 1 September in Richmond, Virginia.

However, he was denied a visa, over which his family expressed disappointment citing the global exposure and international recognition of Yogiraj.

The visa denial comes as a surprise as his wife, Vijeta, had traveled to the US previously. All plans for the couple's visit to the US were already set. The couple only wanted to attend the event and return quickly.

Yogiraj was looking forward to this trip, which would have been his first break after finishing the Ayodhya project. He also expressed his disappointment.

"I don't know any reasons why it was denied but we have submitted all the documents related to visa", Yogiraj told Republic Kannada. 

Notably, the US had also denied a visa to Narendra Modi before he became Prime Minister of India in 2014.

The AKKA World Kannada Conference, which Yogiraj was set to attend, is a biennial event held in the US, bringing together members of the Kannada community from North America and around the globe.

Other than Ramlalla, Yogiraj is also known for his other works like the 30-foot statue of Subhash Chandra Bose, installed behind the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate.

The 12-foot statue of Adi Shankaracharya in Kedarnath, inaugurated in 2021, is also sculpted by him with other notable sculptures like a 21-foot Hanuman in KR Nagar, Mysore.