Ayodhya Ram Mandir: Odisha artist crafts Lord Ram’s image with over 1.53 lakh granules of ‘arua chaula’

An air of devotion and spirituality gripped the entire country on the eve of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ayodhya Ram Mandir. In Bolangir, an artist tried to contribute to the spiritual atmosphere by creating a different piece of art.

Artist Sachidananda Nayak, a resident of Gandhinagar in Bolangir, has crafted an image of Lord Ram using raw rice(Arua chaula). The image of Lord Ram was composed of over 1 lakh granules of Arua chaula. 

He spoke to OTV about his creation dedicated to Lord Ram. Different parts of the image have been coloured differently. The artist has depicted Lord Ram as a warrior. The cloth of the image was painted saffron while the body was coloured blue. The image of Lord Ram holds a bow in his left arm and an arrow in his right hand while a quiver has been slung across the shoulder.

“I have made use of 1,53, 364 arua chula for the image. This took eight days for me to complete the image which has been drawn on a plywood sheet The granules of arua chaula were glued on the glossy surface of the board,” he added.

The artist further stated that he had an intention of sending the art to Ayodhya, but it was late by the time he completed it.

“It was completed on January 18. As it was too late, I could not send it,” he lamented, adding that he intends to donate the art to the Ram Mandir in Bolangir.

He also expressed his happiness over the construction of a magnificent temple for Lord Ram after a 500-year-long struggle. 

Also Read: Pattachitra by Odisha artist gracefully depicts life of Lord Ram, Ayodhya Temple 

People dipped in devotion are coming to Nayak’s house to worship the image. A devotee who was present at the house was proud of Lord Ram, saying, ”We are happy to see the image of Maryada Purushottam Sri Ram in warrior attire. Taking a glimpse at the image, we feel as if the Lord is returning from the battle.”