Tirupati : TTD sculptors complete new idols in 10 days
The new idols prepared by TTD Stathapathis. They have been dispatched to Ramatheertham for installation in Kodandarama temple there on Friday
Tirupati : The three idols, Sri Rama, Seetha and Lakshmana, sculpted by the TTD Silpa Kalasala Sthapathis were dispatched, after performing puja to the murthis from here on Friday by road to Ramatheertham in Vizianagaram district for installation in the shrine there.
After the vandalism of the Rama idol in the 500-year-old shrine atop a hillock in Ramatheertham village, one of popular Hindu pilgrim centres, the state endowments department officially requested TTD for the preparation of the three idols for installing them in Ramatheertham.
TTD entrusted the preparation of the idols to a group of expert sculptors (sthapathis) of Silpa Kalasala through its engineering department. A group of five, including four sculptors and a supervisor took up the sculpting of the idols on January 8 and completed it in a record time of just two weeks.
According to TTD S V Institute of Traditional Sculpture and Architecture (SVITSA) (Silpa Kalasala) principal Venkat Reddy, the Krishna sila (black granite stone) required for the for the idols was selected in Pattimalai Kuppam quarry near Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, the same granite stone which was used for the idol that was vandalised in Ramatheertham temple.
Senior sculptors in the institute, including Ramesh, Nagaraju and Subramanayam sculpted the idols of Rama, Seetha and Lakshmana respectively while the ornamental Aadhara Peetam (common base for the idols) was by another sculptor Nagaraju while Maruthi Rao did the marking and also supervised the idol preparation which almost went round- the-clock for handing over the idols in short time to government.
TTD Engineering officials formally handed over the idols to endowments department regional joint director (Vizag) Brahmaramaba after which they were placed in a truck to ferry them to Ramatheertham, here Friday evening.
It may be noted here that the stone idol of Sri Rama was beheaded by unidentified miscreants in the famed shrine in Ramatheertham which evoked widespread protests and also condemnation from one and all while the opposition parties launched protests to press the government to find out the culprits behind the vandalisation of the idol and also stern measures to stop attacks on Hindu temple in the state.
TTD took up the work of the idols preparation free of cost and also the transportation of the idols to Ramatheertham.