Bihar has taken one step closer to an upcoming ‘Virat Ramayana Temple’ with a 33-ft-long and 210-tonne Shiva Lingam reaching the state after travelling more than 3,000 km from Tamil Nadu.
The Lingam, touted to be “the world’s tallest”, will be installed on the premises of the temple, which is under construction in Kaithwalia in East Champaran, on January 17. In attendance will be the state’s top political leadership, including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and BJP national working president Nitin Nabin, apart from saints.
The Lingam has been made from a single black granite rock, obtained from hills near Mahabalipuram, with a group of local artistes chiselling it into shape and carving 1,008 Shiva Lingams on it — the whole process taking over three years.
The Lingam will stand 51-ft high from the ground once installed, with the Virat Ramayana Temple, conceptualised by Kishore Kunal – the late head of the Bihar State Religious Trust Council – as a sprawling 125-acre, Rs 500-crore project.
The temple design includes a 270-feet-tall main structure, with 18 towers and 22 temples dedicated to different deities on the premises. An East Champaran resident, Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan, a petroleum transporter, donated 71 decimals of land for the project, apart from donations by Hindu families.
Kunal’s son Saayan was present to “welcome” the Lingam at Gopalganj Monday, as it entered Bihar from Uttar Pradesh, along with minister Ashok Choudhary. Saayan told The Indian Express that K Sudhakaran, the superintendent of the Mahavir Temple Trust that is overseeing the construction of the temple, accompanied the Lingam as it made its way from Mahabalipuram, starting November 21. “We got a 96-wheel truck from a leading logistics company. A pilot vehicle moved ahead of the truck, reaching usually a day in advance, checking the route and coordinating with the district administration to ensure that it did not hit traffic… I also joined on the way briefly,” Saayan said.
Apart from Sudhakaran, a team of five-six people travelled on the truck, keeping a watch, and ensuring that the vehicle maintained a very low speed, covering not more than 60 km in a day, to avoid any damage to the Lingam. There were three drivers on board, taking the wheel by rotation. At every break, shock absorbers were checked.
Story continues below this ad
A huge crowd gathered to welcome the Lingam at Gopalganj, streaming in from the town and nearby villages to offer prayers.
Saayan said the response was equally “overwhelming” as the Lingam travelled through Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, making several halts. “We had to stop for a day in Nagpur as people from several villages wanted time to reach the town to offer prayers.”
Saayan said the “pran pratishtha” of the Lingam will befit the devotion shown for it. “Though the Virat Ramayana Temple will be completed only in 2030, we will have a huge gathering on January 17.”
