Shaligram diplomacy in limbo?

In the first week of February, Nepal dispatched two Himalayan rocks sourced from the Kaligandaki river to Ayodhya, India, based on a formal request from a committee tasked with the construction of a new Ram Temple there.  The idea was to carve out idols of Ram Lalla (Lord Ram as a child) and install one of them on the sanctum of the Ayodhya Temple and another on the temple premises.  Or that is what the Nepali side thought.   

After receiving the request for the rocks from India, a team consisting of geologists, religious figures and political figures scurried the banks of the Kaligandaki in search of perfect rocks for the idols, in coordination with local, provincial and central governments. They found two huge quartzite and calcite rocks at Thulo Pahiro in Myagdi district. 

After performing Kshamapuja on the banks of the Kaligandaki with the participation of Nepali and Indian team members involved in what many described as part of Shaligram diplomacy, the idols were dispatched to the Indian holy city with devotees queuing up along the way to worship the idols. All that spectacle was seen as a victory of ‘Shaligram diplomacy’.  But now, things seem to have changed a bit, with indications that the rocks may not be used for carving out the Ram idol and installed at the inner core. 

Kul Raj Chalise, one of the persons involved in the process of selecting and dispatching the rocks, says Nepal decided to send those rocks following a formal decision from the Indian side. But, according to sources, the Ram Temple Construction Committee has conveyed a message saying that they are unlikely to use the rocks from Nepal to make the idol of Ram idol. It has hinted that the rocks may be put on display on temple premises. 

Nepali Congress leader Bimalendra Nidhi, who had played an instrumental role in identifying the rocks and dispatching them to Ayodhya, is heading to Ayodhya to consult with the trust authorities. Nidhi said: “We decided to provide the sacred rocks for carving out the main idol of Ram, so this understanding should be honored.” 

The Hindu quoted chairman of the construction committee of the trust, Nripendra Misra: “There is already one idol of Ram Lalla there, but we have to have another deity, just behind the original idol.  Apart from the rocks from Kaligandaki, rocks from Odisha and Karnataka are also being tested for the idols. Sculptors will test sacred rocks brought from Nepal to Ayodhya to find out whether they can be used for carving out Ram Lalla’s idol which will be placed at the sanctum of the upcoming Ram temple on its first floor at Ram Darbar.”