Odisha Artisan Crafts Grand Wooden ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ for Ayodhya’s Ram Temple Inauguration

In Odisha’s Ganjam district, artist Arun Sahu from Kanchuru village near Hinjili town has crafted a 5.6-feet tall ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ in wood to commemorate the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22. The wooden frame, measuring 30 inches, features intricately carved Hindi letters on ‘gambari’ wood, forming 40 verses or ‘dohas’ of the Chalisa. Sahu, who owns a training institute, spent nearly a month on this wood carving project, with assistance from some of his students.

Expressing his devotion to Hanuman, Sahu revealed his intention to present the sacred hymn in a unique format for installation in the newly constructed Ram temple. Despite not receiving an official invitation for the temple inauguration, Sahu expressed his willingness to attend if invited. Otherwise, he plans to visit Ayodhya shortly after the temple’s inauguration to present the wood-carved Hanuman Chalisa.

This isn’t Sahu’s first venture into crafting the Hanuman Chalisa; he had previously created a wood book version, 12 inches in height and 10 inches in width, with two-inch thick wooden pages. Additionally, Sahu has a wood portrait of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, which he previously gifted during Patnaik’s visit to Hinjili, Sahu’s constituency. Sahu also expressed his intention to present the wood book version of the Hanuman Chalisa to Prime Minister Narendra Modi if given the opportunity to meet him.

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