From Kerala to UAE: Meet artisans who made Ayyappa idol for temple Modi inaugurated

He said the Ayyappa idol would be the largest panchaloha (an alloy of five metals: gold, silver, copper, zinc, and iron) in the world. “The height, including the pedestal, is four feet. We have not come across a panchaloha idol of that size,” he said.

The Kaattumpurath family, which has been engaged in temple-related works for generations, got the assignment for the idol from Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha. “What we learnt is that there was a demand from the Hindu community in UAE for installing an idol of Lord Ayyappa among other deities. There are scores of devotees of Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala. The Sansatha was favourable to their demand. They got in touch with us through the Thazhamon family (of tantris, who are traditional priests of the Sabarimala). Last year, the Sanstha gave us the work, which we completed in six months,” he said.

Evoking the 18 holy steps at the Sabarimala temple, a miniature of the 18 steps at a height of three feet leading to the idol of Ayyappa was constructed. This would give a feel of the Sabarimala temple for the devotees, the artisans said.

Along with the father and son, 15 traditional workers toiled to make the idol. “The final touches were given by my father Ananthan Achari. We had the invitation to attend the inaugural function. We are planning to visit the temple later. BAPS provided the metals for making the idol. Its senior representatives had visited us to oversee the manufacturing,” said Anu.