• The idol is three-feet tall and four-feet wide, with intricate carvings
• Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board ropes in Arun for the task
• Vehicle carrying the Nandi idol left Mysuru city on May 29
• Krishna Shile (black schist stone) weighing 1.5 tonnes sourced from Harohalli-Gujjegowdanapura, H.D. Kote taluk, Mysuru District
• Similar stone used to carve Balak Ram Idol of Ayodhya Sri Ram Mandir

Mysore/Mysuru: Sculptor Arun Yogiraj of the city, whose deft hands crafted Balak Ram idol installed at Ayodhya Sri Ram Mandir, has created yet another idol to marvel at, in the form of Nandi, the vehicle of Lord Shiva in puranas.

The three-feet tall and four-feet wide Nandi idol made of Krishna Shile (black schist stone), to be installed in front of Amarnath Cave Temple in Jammu and Kashmir was sculpted by Arun in a short span of two months. A vehicle carrying the idol left the city on May 29 evening and is likely to be installed in front of snow-capped idol of Lord Shiva at the end of June this year.

Amarnath yatra pilgrimage is popular among devote Hindus, who visit the shrine every year between the months of June and August. With the installation of Nandi idol, the shrine is expected to witness a surge in the footfall of devotees this year.

Arun, who shot to fame with back-to-back sculpting of the idol of Adi Shankaracharya installed at Kedarnath, followed by that of freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose installed in New Delhi and Balak Ram idol at Ayodhya Sri Ram Mandir, was roped in for the task of carving Nandi idol by Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board.

Like the idol of Balak Ram, the black schist stone weighing 1.5 tonnes, used for carving Nandi idol was also sourced from Harohalli-Gujjegowdanapura in H.D. Kote taluk, Mysuru district. The idol can withstand challenging weather conditions and the glint is likely to remain intact even during chilly weather conditions covered by mist.

Sculptor Arun Yogiraj has clarified that he is not involved in the work on carving the statue of former Chief Minster D. Devaraj Urs, proposed to be installed in front of new district offices complex at Siddarthanagar in city. Referring to a report published in Star of Mysore, Arun said “Neither the District Administration nor the Foundation involved in the making of the statue came with the proposal to me. Hence, I am not associated with the project,” said Sculptor Arun Yogiraj.

About the idol

The attention to details by Arun is evident with intricate carvings, with the designs of a rope, string of jingling bells and anklets adorning the neck of Nandi idol, with a huge bell in hanging formation in the front. A holy carving made on the back of the Nandi is another attraction, that makes the work distinctly apart from others.

‘Not involved in making D. Devaraj Urs statue’

Sculptor Arun Yogiraj has clarified that he is not involved in the work on carving the statue of former Chief Minster D. Devaraj Urs, proposed to be installed in front of new district offices complex at Siddarthanagar in city.

Referring to a report published in Star of Mysore, Arun said “Neither the District Administration nor the Foundation involved in the making of the statue came with the proposal to me. Hence, I am not associated with the project.”