Did Ayodhya Ram Idol Stone Contractor Receive Rs 80,000 Fine From Karnataka Government?

It is widely known that the stone used for carving the Lord Ram idol in Ayodhya was sourced from HD Kote in Mysuru. However, recent revelations indicate that the contractor who extracted the special stone in 2022 faced an Rs 80,000 fine imposed by the Karnataka government, according to TV9 reports.

In 2022, the landowner, 70-year-old Ramadas H, a farmer, sought to level his 2.14-acre land in Harohalli-Gujjegowdanapura village for cultivation. He entrusted Shrinivas Nataraj with the contract for this task. Shrinivas, upon digging the ground to a depth of 10 feet, discovered a substantial 'Krishna Shile' stone, which he then divided into three boulders and extracted.

The discovery caught the attention of local residents who promptly notified the Mines and Geology Department. Officials visited the site and fined Shrinivas for mining stones without proper authorization. Shrinivas, facing difficulty, managed to pay the fine at a time when the stones had not yet been selected for the Ram idol.

Later, renowned sculptor Arun Yogiraj selected the same stone and crafted the majestic Ram idol installed in Ayodhya with great pomp on January 22nd, 2024.

Upon learning about the incident, Mysuru BJP MP Pratap Simha announced that the BJP would reimburse Shrinivas the Rs 80,000 fine. The farmer, who owns the land where the stone was extracted, has agreed to build a Ram Temple and expressed plans to contact Arun Yogiraj for sculpting another idol.

Clarification

However, after the issue came to the fore, Shrinivas clarified that the fine he received was not related to the extraction of stone for the Ram idol. He explained that the fine, imposed in July 2022, was in connection to mining without proper authorization in a separate incident. Srinivas explicitly stated that the penalty levied by the Karnataka Government had no association with the stone used for the Ram idol.