Lucknow,

31 May (HS): Approximately 125 special sculptures depicting various episodes of

Ramayana are being installed in Ram Katha Kunj. These sculptures will depict

approximately 80 episodes of Ramayana, ranging from Lord Rama's birth,

childhood, Sita's marriage, exile, burning of Lanka, and taking water burial in

the Saryu river. The legendary sculptor Ranjit Mandal of Assam and his father

Narayan Chandra Mandal created these holy idols in Ayodhya's Ram Sevak Puram. Devotees

and tourists may view the complete Ramayana epic through paintings and

sculptures. It is a popular tourist destination that connects the younger

generation with Lord Ram's ideas.

Reflecting

on the temple movement's historical underpinnings, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth

Kshetra Media Coordinator Sharad Sharma stated that the Ram Sevak Puram

workshop was founded in 2014 under the direction of late leader Ashok Singhal

to construct the Ram Katha Kunj. According to Sharad Sharma, this 'Ram Sevak

Puram' was built in 2014 prior to the building of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi

temple. The idea was to construct 'Ram Katha Kunj' within the temple complex.

This workshop was established with the direction of our esteemed and late Ashok

Singhal ji, a notable mentor of the Ram Temple movement. Sharma

described the session as an endeavor to elegantly illustrate numerous incidents

from Lord Shri Ram's life.

“As

you can see, sculptures representing around 84 episodes have been created.

These are being produced under the direction of Ranjit Mandal, an Assam-based

principal sculptor. The intention is for society to be inspired by the events

of Lord Ram's life,” he added.

Sharad

Sharma observed that the immensely popular statues reflect major life events

from King Dasharatha's 'Putrakameshti' Yagya to the coronation ritual as

recounted in ancient texts. The sculptures show episodes from King Dasharatha's

'Putrakameshti' Yagya, the birth of the brothers, their schooling, exile,

Svayamvar, and the final coronation after the triumph in Lanka, as told in the

Ramcharitmanas and Valmiki Ramayana. Sharma stated that this has drawn enormous

throngs of devotees. The statues' realistic quality drew passionate admiration

from visitors from all around the country.

Uttam

Bhai, a visitor from Maharashtra, said the exhibition encouraged him to set

objectives for his village back home. We had traveled from Maharashtra for

temple darshan. We also came to view these sculptures because we want to create

a similar temple in our village, he added, noting that the superb artwork

offers tremendous satisfaction and makes it a must-see pilgrimage. The artists'

workmanship emerged as a key subject among observers. Omkar Jethalsingh Rajput,

also from Maharashtra, commented, These statues appear to be speaking to

us. It's as if the sculptor gave them life; just the soul is absent.”

Others,

such as Sumitra from Dhanbad, Jharkhand, saw the show as a powerful visual

voyage through holy history. It seems pretty excellent. I came to observe

situations such as Sita Mata's kidnapping. I enjoyed everything I saw, she

said, expressing the overwhelming adoration that has brought the Ramayana story

to life for countless of pilgrims. Ram Katha Kunj is a designated exhibition

space within the massive Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple complex in Ayodhya, Uttar

Pradesh.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi