33-feet Shiva Lingam installed at upcoming Ramayan temple

Patna: The world’s tallest monolithic Shiva Lingam, standing 33 ft tall and weighing 210 MT, was installed on Saturday at the upcoming Viraat Ramayan Temple in East Champaran, in the presence of CM Nitish Kumar.

A helicopter showered flower petals while priests chanted Vedic mantras during the installation ceremony, creating a devotional atmosphere.Accompanied by both his deputies, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, the CM reached the site as part of his Samriddhi Yatra in East Champaran district. He reviewed the progress of the temple construction and inspected the site. “The CM inspected the upcoming Viraat Ramayan Temple in the district and issued necessary instructions,” a press statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office said on Saturday.An official associated with the Mahavir Temple Trust, which is constructing the Viraat Ramayan Temple, said holy water from several rivers was arranged to be offered at the Shiva Lingam during the installation ceremony. The event was attended by a large number of local villagers. Mahavir Temple Trust secretary Saayan Kunal said the temple construction was expected to be completed by 2030. Kunal, who is also a member of the Bihar State Religious Trust Council, and his wife Sambhavi Choudhary, LJP (RV) MP from Samastipur, took part in the installation rituals.

The Shiva Lingam, carved from a single piece of black granite, features 1,008 smaller Sahasralingams. It was transported to the site from Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu on a specially designed truck in the first week of Jan, covering a distance of 2,565 km over 45 days. A temple official said the construction of the massive sculpture took nearly 10 years.Officials said the temple complex will extend about 1,080 ft in length and 540 ft in width, and will have 18 spires and 22 temples. The main spire will be 270 ft tall, while four spires will be 180 ft high, one spire 135 ft, eight spires 108 ft and one spire 90 ft. The foundation stone of the temple was laid on Jun 20, 2023, by the late Acharya Kishore Kunal, former chairman of the Bihar State Religious Trust Council.“When completed, Viraat Ramayan Temple will be the world’s largest, which will be a matter of great pride for the state,” Kunal said.