Express News Service

LUCKNOW:  The engraver of the first stone to be used in the construction of upcoming Ram temple, 
Annubhai Sompura, will be one of the chief guests of Ram Lalla during his consecration in garbh-griha (sanctum sanctorum) in Ayodhya on January 22.

Given his unique contribution to the temple movement, Sompoura has been invited by Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to be a witness to the event in presence of PM Narendra Modi and other dignitaries in the temple town. 

On the recommendation of the chef architect and famous sculptor Chandrakant Sompura, Annubhai, then 45, had come to Ayodhya from Ahmedabad in 1990. He had brought his brother Pradeep Sompura and son Prakash along. Since then Annubhai has embraced the temple town as his permanent abode and settled in Ayodhya where he, along with his brother and son, started carving the stones and pillars to be used in temple whenever it would come up. Thus, the credit for carving the first ever stone for the purpose of being used in temple construction goes to Annubhai.

“After coming to Ayodhya, the then international president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and one of the most prominent faces of temple movement, Ashok Singhal got the arrangements done for Annubhai. At present, he has been staying in an accommodation provided to him by temple trust chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das at Maniram Chhavni Ashram,” says a local source. 

Annubhai had started carving with just two stones. He had no machinery but started giving shape to the raw stones with the help of hammer and chisel at a desolated place which was then surrounded by dense forest area but now has catapulted into a full-fledged workshop for the temple.

As per the local sources, the first machine to cut the stones arrived in Ayodhya in 1996. It was followed by the deployment of a large number of heavy machines to cut stones and hundreds of artists were hired to carve these stones further.

“Initially, Annubhai, his son and brother were the only artistes chiselling the stones but gradually the number went up. At present around 150 workers from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Mirzapur and Ayodhya are working day in and day out to engrave the stones to be used in temple,” said a local source. Elated over the consecration of the Lord Rama in sanctum sanctorum, Annubhai, now 78, feels that it would be biggest festival of his life when Ram will be enthroned in his abode.

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<br /> LUCKNOW:  The engraver of the first stone to be used in the construction of upcoming Ram temple, <br /> Annubhai Sompura, will be one of the chief guests of Ram Lalla during his consecration in garbh-griha (sanctum sanctorum) in Ayodhya on January 22.</p> <p>Given his unique contribution to the temple movement, Sompoura has been invited by Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to be a witness to the event in presence of PM Narendra Modi and other dignitaries in the temple town. </p> <p>On the recommendation of the chef architect and famous sculptor Chandrakant Sompura, Annubhai, then 45, had come to Ayodhya from Ahmedabad in 1990. He had brought his brother Pradeep Sompura and son Prakash along. Since then Annubhai has embraced the temple town as his permanent abode and settled in Ayodhya where he, along with his brother and son, started carving the stones and pillars to be used in temple whenever it would come up. Thus, the credit for carving the first ever stone for the purpose of being used in temple construction goes to Annubhai.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });</p> <p>“After coming to Ayodhya, the then international president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and one of the most prominent faces of temple movement, Ashok Singhal got the arrangements done for Annubhai. At present, he has been staying in an accommodation provided to him by temple trust chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das at Maniram Chhavni Ashram,” says a local source. </p> <p>Annubhai had started carving with just two stones. He had no machinery but started giving shape to the raw stones with the help of hammer and chisel at a desolated place which was then surrounded by dense forest area but now has catapulted into a full-fledged workshop for the temple.</p> <p>As per the local sources, the first machine to cut the stones arrived in Ayodhya in 1996. It was followed by the deployment of a large number of heavy machines to cut stones and hundreds of artists were hired to carve these stones further.</p> <p>“Initially, Annubhai, his son and brother were the only artistes chiselling the stones but gradually the number went up. At present around 150 workers from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Mirzapur and Ayodhya are working day in and day out to engrave the stones to be used in temple,” said a local source. Elated over the consecration of the Lord Rama in sanctum sanctorum, Annubhai, now 78, feels that it would be biggest festival of his life when Ram will be enthroned in his abode. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp<br />