The Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Friday (28 April) announced that the ‘Prana Pratishtha’ or consecration of Ram Lalla’s idol will take place on 22 January, 2024, in the permanent ‘Garbhagriha’ or sanctum-sanctorum of the temple.

Champat Rai, General Secretary of the Trust on Thursday said that the Trust decided on the date after several rounds of consultations and meetings. Speaking at a gathering of a traders’ association, he said that the sanctum sanctorum or the garbhagriha of the temple would be completed by September and the idol of Ram Lalla would be erected by October this year.

It is also being reported that both the new idol being created now and the old idol which 'miraculously appeared' in 1949 would be placed in the temple.

Reports also say that the idol will be placed inside the garbhagriha in such a way that sun rays would fall on the forehead of Rama Lalla on the day of Rama Navami for five minutes. This will be called the ‘Surya Tilak’ of the Rama Lalla.

“We have constituted a team of experts from CSIR-CBRI, and the Centre of Astronomy and Astrophysics to install the idol in such a way that the rays of the rising sun touch the forehead of the idol,” Rai said to India Today.

Unlike what is being widely reported, the idol of Rama Lalla will not be carved from the Shaligram stones brought from Nepal. While it was one among the many stones shortlisted by the trust, the ‘Krishna Shila’ stones from Karnataka will be used to carve out the 5-foot tall idol of Lord Ram in his childhood.

The five rocks were brought from Karakala, a town 60 km from Mangalore located on the banks of River Tungabhadra. The stones were selected after consultations among seers, geologists, sculptors, experts of Hindu sculptures, and trust office-bearers.

“The new idol of Lord Ram, in his five-year-old avatar, will be five foot tall. The idol will be in a standing posture armed with a bow and arrow,” said Udupi seer Sri Vishwaprasanna Tirtha Swami, a member of the Teertha Trust.

Renowned sculptor Arun Yogaraj – credited for the Adi Shankaracharya statue at Kedarnath - will create the new idol based on the sketch by acclaimed artist Vasudeo Kamath.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be present for the rituals. The temple gates are expected to open for devotees in January itself.