Ayodhya: A seven-foot-tall statue of Kodamb Ram from Karnataka will be installed at a museum in Ayodhya. The statue is made of a single rosewood block and will be unveiled by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on June 7 when it will be put up at the Shodh Sansthan here. The statue has been purchased from the Karnataka Emporium for Rs 35 lakhs.
Director of Shodh Sansthan, Ayodhya, Y.P. Singh, said that though the museum has over 2,500 artifacts related to Lord Ram and his life, it did not have any piece depicting Kodamb Ram. According to him, the life of Lord Ram is divided into five stages — Baal Ram, Raja Ram, Dulha Ram, Banvasi Ram and Kodamb Ram.
The stages are worshipped in different regions of the country. In the north, it is the early two stages of his life that are relevant while in Mithila region of Bihar, Dulha Ram is worshipped where Ram and Sita are seen together and the former is not armed with his bow. Banvasi Ram statues have Ram and Laxman with Sita in between. It is relevant in Madhya Pradesh and other central India regions.
Kodamb Ram, on the other hand, is worshipped in the south and depicts the stage of Ram’s life when Sita was kidnapped. The statues from that phase of Ram’s life show Ram alone, without Sita and Laxman. It may be recalled that in November last year, the Yogi Adityanath government had announced a 100 metre tall statue of Lord Ram that will be installed on the banks of Saryu River.