The third Ram Lalla idol which was in contention to be placed in the grand sanctum sanctorum of the Ram temple in Ayodhya was carved from black stone by sculptor Ganesh Bhatt.

NDTV has accessed photographs of the idol, which was sculpted using a black stone found in a farmland in Hegadadevana Kote area of Karnataka’s Mysore. The stone itself, referred to as Krishna Shila, is of a deep black hue.

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