The two sacred rocks brought from Nepal to Ayodhya will be preserved at the Ram Mandir complex but they will not be used in the making of Ram Lalla's idol.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, the trust that manages the temple, said that it was a tough decision to rule out the ancient rocks from Nepal for the idol.

"After several tests, the Nepal rocks were not found to be suitable for Ram Lalla's idol as they developed cracks. However, the trust has decided to retain these rocks at the Ram Mandir complex itself so that devotees can worship them. They are 'devshilas' and will be given full respect," a trust member stated.

Meanwhile, renowned sculptors are carving out three idols of Lord Ram from the rocks of Karnataka and Rajasthan. The best of them will be installed in the sanctum-sanctorum of the temple.

"The trust has decided to use the Karnataka and Rajasthan rocks for Ram Lalla's idol," the member added.

Ganesh Bhatt of Karnataka is making the idol from Nellikaru rocks (black stones), which are also known as "Shyam shila" or "Krishna shila" due to their resemblance to Lord Krishna's complexion.

Satya Narayan Pandey of Rajasthan is expected to make an idol from white Makrana marble stones. Famous sculptor Arun Yogiraj of Mysore will carve out an idol from another rock sourced from Karnataka.

The two devshilas (ancient rocks) from Nepal's Gandaki river in the Muktinath area had reached Ayodhya on February 2 this year. They weighed at 14 and 26 tonnes.

The trust has planned a grand ceremony on Makar Sankranti in January next year when Lord Ram's idol depicting his childhood will be enthroned in the sanctum-sanctorum of the Ayodhya temple. (IANS/NS)