Yogi unveils Lord Rama's statue in Ayodhya

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday unveiled a seven feet tall statue of Lord Rama at Ayodhya.

The statue, depicting 'Kodamb Ram' (one of the five avatars of Lord Rama), was made of rosewood and had been purchased from Karnataka State Arts & Craft Emporium for Rs. 35 lakh.

Crafted in Karnataka style, it took three years for the artisans to complete the statue, according to the officials of the Ayodhya Shodh Sansthan, an organisation engaged in conducting research on the cultural heritage of the country.

The statue would be kept at the museum of the Sansthan, they said.

UP government has already announced to install a 221-metre high brass statue of Lord Rama on the bank of the Saryu river at Ayodhya. Construction work of the statue has already started.

Ayodhya suddenly hit the headlines after the completion of the Lok Sabha polls with the seers owing allegiance to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) demanding to start the construction of the Ram Temple.

The Ram Janambhoomi Trust (RJT) held a meeting at Ayodhya a few days back to discuss the issue. A delegation of the seers may also seek a meeting with prime minister Narendra Modi to seek his intervention in the matter.

Shiv Sena (SS) supremo Udhav Thackeray, along with his newly elected 18 Lok Sabha members planned to visit the temple town on June 15. The SS chief would be paying obeisance at the makeshift Ram Temple and also meet the seers.