Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Come April 17, the Sri Rama Navami, and Lord Rama’s magnificent temple in Ayodhya will have another feather in its Divine Crown: a Chennai jeweler’s craftsmanship of the Sriramacharitamamas, weighing 147 kg in gold, to be placed in the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) of the grand shrine which Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated on January 22.
Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers (VBJ), which designed and made Sengol, the historical scepter installed in the new Parliament House last year, has now crafted the entire epic poem ‘Sriramacharitmanas’, composed by the revered sage Goswami Tulsidas, in gold.
It will be placed at the Ayodhya temple’s garbhagriha on Sri Rama Navami, on April 17.
Displayed at VBJ, it weighs up to 147 kg, overall, with 522 gold-plated pages on it. All pages of the Sriramacharitmanas narrate the timeless chronicles of Lord Rama, woven with poetic eloquence and spiritual depth, a symbol of reverence, encapsulating the essence of devotion, a company release said.
The Sriramacharitmanas is divided into six ‘Kaandas’ or chapters, each encapsulating a distinct phase of Lord Rama’s divine journey. They are the Bala Kanda, Ayodhya Kanda, Aranya Kanda, Kishkindha Kanda, Sundara Kanda and the Uttara Kanda.
Each page, meticulously crafted with a thickness of one mm, symbolizes the intricate attention to detail that defines the craftsmanship. The journey of creating this opulent masterpiece involved a myriad of design processes, right from precise CorelDraw 2D drawings like framing to sampling the pages.
The text of the poem, with its unique characters, required a set of skilled artisans to ensure that each word was clearly and accurately etched onto the surface of the gold sheet. Additionally, etching the poem on both sides of the gold sheet added an extra layer of challenge to the process, as it demanded perfect alignment and coordination to ensure that the text remained coherent and legible from every angle.
The epic involved utilizing a cutting-edge printing technology known as UV (Ultraviolet) printing to reproduce the imagery of this sacred scene onto the surface of the gold metal sheet. The UV printing is employed to add intricate details and vibrant colors to the depiction on the front page which is Ramapattabhishekam and the picture of Lord Hanuman right before the Sundara Kaanda Chapter.
A couple of pages like the RamCharan with SitaCharan and the Ayodhya Temple involved a delicate balance of two-tone metals, seamlessly blending gold and silver hues, which speaks to the meticulous artistry and technical expertise involved in harmonizing these contrasting elements. The gold and silver tones must complement each other flawlessly, creating a visual symphony that enhances the overall elegance and sophistication.
Even the stand to place the epic book in the Ayodhya temple has also been designed by VBJ with technicality and practicality to hold a wholesome weight of 147 kg. All these processes took around 8 months to craft an epic and deliver, the release said.