The Ram Lalla idol to be installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the grand temple in Ayodhya will be selected later this month from the three idols currently being chiseled by renowned sculptors in the temple town, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

A five-member committee of prominent seers, constituted by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra — the trust overseeing the construction of the grand temple — will select the presiding idol depicting Lord Ram in the child form.

“It is most likely that the three idols will be ready between December 15 and December 20 to go through the selection process,” a member of the Trust said, requesting anonymity.

Two idols are being made from stones sourced from Karnataka and one from Rajasthan. Renowned sculptors Ganesh Bhatt and Arun Yogiraj from Karnataka and Satya Narayan Pandey from Rajasthan are chiseling the idols in Ayodhya at separate locations, which have been kept out of bounds of public.

All three idols of Ram Lalla are based on the sketch presented to the Trust by Mumbai-based renowned artist Vasudeo Kamath.

“Ram Lalla’s 51-inch idol which is aesthetically closer to the deity will be selected,” Kameshwar Choupal, a member of the Trust, said.

Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, who is part of the selection panel, said: “The idol must be a replica of five-year-old Ram Lalla. Selecting one idol out of the three will not be easy. The only criterion will be its resemblance to Ram Lalla.”

The Trust will reveal the selected idol to the people in a Shobha Yatra in Ayodhya on January 17, days before it will be placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple on January 22. Starting January 18, five-day rituals of Pran Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony of Ram Lalla will start