Arun Yogiraj


Arun Yogiraj is an Indian sculptor from Mysuru, Karnataka. He has carved the 30-feet statue of Subhash Chandra Bose, which was installed in the canopy behind the Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate in New Delhi ahead of the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. His idol of Ram Lalla, the child form of Hindu god Rama, is also installed at Ayodhya's Ram Temple.

Early life and education

Yogiraj was born into a family of traditional sculptors in Mysore, Karnataka. Arun Yogiraj married Vijetha Mohan, and they have a daughter and a son. His grandfather was a national awardee honored by the president of India in 1983, and his father was a state award-winning sculptor.
He studied at JSS Balajagath School in Mysore, then completed his BCom and MBA from the University of Mysore. Though he briefly worked in the corporate world, he decided in 2008 to return to his roots and pursue sculpting full-time.

Career

Yogiraj's career was shaped by both tradition and innovation. In 2011, he began focusing on hyper-realistic sculpting, expanding his knowledge by interacting with international sculptors and studying anatomy and structure.
A major milestone in his career was the successful sculpting of a 15-foot marble statue of Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar. The statue received praise from the then Chief Minister of Karnataka in 2015, who noted that the sculpture “looked alive.”
Yogiraj works primarily in the Mysore style of sculpture, an evolution of the Hoysala architectural method. To date, he has completed over 10,000 sculptures of varying sizes and styles.

Works

Yogiraj's recent works include the statue of Ram Lalla. The 51 inch tall idol has been installed in the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya.
His other works include a 12-feet, tall 3-D statue of Adi Shankaracharya in Kedarnath, the 21-feet tall Hanuman statue at Chunchanakatte in Mysore district, 15-feet tall sculpture of Dr. BR Ambedkar, in Mysuru inaugurated by the then chief minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah in 2018, the white amritashila statue of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa in Mysore, six-feet monolithic statue of Nandi and a six-feet tall statue of Banashankari Devi. The 14.5-feet tall white amritashila statue of the Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar which was unveiled in 2016, the Raja of Mysore is one of the famous of his works along with the 5-feet bust of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar.
Work NameLocationYear
Ram Lalla IdolAyodhya Ram Mandir2024
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose StatueIndia Gate, New Delhi2022
Adi Shankaracharya StatueKedarnath2021
Amarnath NandiJammu and Kashmir—
Sangolli Rayanna Statue Mysore—
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Statue Mysore—
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Statue Mysore—
Mahatma Gandhi Statue Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru—

Awards