It's finally official!

Mysuru sculptor Arun Yogiraj’s shyamal (dusky) vision of five-year-old Ram Lalla, a 51-inch-tall figure in black stone, was unanimously selected on Monday by 11 trustees of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra as the idol that will be placed in the sanctum sanctorum of Ram temple on January 18. The consecration is scheduled for January 22.

General secretary Champat Rai confirmed what TOI had reported on January 7 at a presser in Ayodhya. But the world won't get a glimpse of the idol within the main temple until the consecration a week from now.

Rai said the idol's pran pratistha would be done during the auspicious ‘Abhijeet Muhurta’ from 12.20pm to 1pm.

Starting Tuesday, Kashi-based Vedic scholar and priest Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid will oversee and anchor a team of 121 acharyas tasked with performing the rituals leading to the main event. Laxmikant M Dixit, also of Kashi, has been picked as the principal acharya.

The trust said most of the ceremonies would be completed in advance. The temple authorities are contemplating regulating darshan of Ram Lalla's idol in the existing makeshift temple on January 20 and 21 to enable proper preparations for the main event, which will have around 8,000 high-profile guests.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and UP CM Yogi Adityanath will address the guests once the ceremony concludes before handing the dais to PM Narendra Modi.

Rai appealed to all citizens to celebrate what he said was “Ram’s return home” by lighting five earthen lamps each after sunset at 5.47pm on January 22. “The temple complex will be illuminated with diyas in the evening, and Ayodhya will celebrate Deepotsav,” he said.