Arun Yogiraj, creator of Ram lalla idol, mobbed by huge crowd at Bengaluru's Kempegowda Airport

Mysore-based sculptor, Arun Yogiraj who is behind the Ram Lalla idol that was consecrated at the Ram temple in Ayodhya who returned after the grand ceremony was mobbed at Bengaluru Airport, reported ToI.

Yogiraj landed at Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) at 9.30pm and was escorted out of the terminal by CISF personnel due to the large crowd that was waiting for the sculptor.

Due to the chaos at the airport, cops started pushing those who were at the airport to meet Yogiraj.


Soon after Yogiraj exited the terminal, he was greeted by his family, including wife Vijetha and child. As mediapersons jostled to interview him, city cops intervened and whisked him away.

Who is Arun Yogiraj?
Arun Yogiraj, a fifth-generation sculptor who chiselled the 'Ram Lalla' idol consecrated in the newly constructed temple in Ayodhya, on Monday, says he considers himself the luckiest person on the earth and believes that its Lord Ram who chose him for the task.

"I have always felt that Lord Ram has been shielding me and my family from all the bad times and I strongly believe that it is him, who chose me for the auspicious task," Yogiraj, who has received effusive praise for his work, told PTI.

"I learnt the art of sculpting from my father. He would have been very proud to see my idol here today," he said.

An MBA from the University of Mysore, Arun Yogiraj trained for six months in the HR Department of a private company.

"But I listened to my inner voice and left the private sector job and returned to Mysuru to carry forward the family tradition," he said.

Prior to sculpting Ram idol for mandir in Ayodhya, Yogiraj had earlier sculpted the 12-foot-tall idol of Adi Shankaracharya, which has been placed in Kedarnath, and the statue of Subhas Chandra Bose which has been installed near India Gate in Delhi.

Yogiraj other art pieces include a 21 feet tall Hanuman statue at Chunchanakatte in Mysore district, 15 feet tall statue of Dr B R Ambedkar, a white amritashila statue of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa in Mysore, six feet tall monolithic statue of Nandi, six feet tall statue of Banashankari Devi and a 4.5 feet tall white Amrita Shila statue of the King of Mysore Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar.

(with PTI inputs)