| Arun Yogiraj | |
| Birth Place: | Mysore, Karnataka, India |
| Nationality: | Indian |
| Occupation: | Sculptor, Artist |
| Spouse: | Vijetha Mohan |
Arun Yogiraj (born 1983) is an Indian sculptor from Mysuru, Karnataka. He has carved the 30-feet statue of Subhash Chandra Bose,[1] which was installed in the canopy behind the Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate[2] 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.[3] [4]
He is from Agrahara, Mysore.[5] He is from a family of five generations of sculptors from Mysuru in Karnataka. Arun's father, Yogiraj, and grandfather Basavanna Shilpi were also famous sculptors.[6]
Arun completed his MBA from TTL College of Business Management, Mysore and worked in a private company before taking up sculpting full time from 2008. His father Yogiraj Shilpi passed away while Arun was still sculpting the Subhash Chandra Bose statue, in October 2021.[7]
He has a brother and a sister. He is married to Vijetha.[8]
Arun Yogiraj's recent work include the divine statue of Ram Lalla. The 51-inch tall idol has been installed in the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya.[9]
His other works include a 12-feet, tall 3-D statue of Adi Shankaracharya in Kedarnath,[10] 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,[11] 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 (marble) 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.[12]
He received South Zone Young Artist award by Government of India in 2014, and Rajyotsava Prashasti by Mysuru District administration,[13] and in 2021 Karnataka government's Jakanachari Award.[14] Shilpa Kousthubha honorific by Sculptors Association.