BHOPAL: The gigantic 108-feet-tall statue of Adi Shankaracharya was unveiled by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on the Mandhata Mountain in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday morning.
Besides unveiling the ‘Statue of Oneness,’ the multi-metal statue of the eighth-century Indian philosopher and theologian, the Chouhan also laid the foundation of the Advaita Lok Museum.
The grand religious event, which happened amid chants of Vedic mantras, was attended by 5,000 Hindu seers from across the country, including Avdheshanand Giri Maharaj (the Acharya Mahamandelashwar of Juna Akhara), Paramatmanand Ji, Swami Swaroopanand Ji, and Swami Teerthanand Ji Maharaj.
The Statue of Oneness, which portrays Adi Shankaracharya as a 12-year-old boy (the age at which he attained spiritual knowledge from his Guru) stands on a 75-feet pedestal and is installed on a 16-feet lotus made of stone.
The 100-tonne statue, which has been carved under the guidance of sculptor Bhagwan Rampure and painter Vasudev Kamath, is made of 88% copper, 4% zinc and 8% tin.
The statue has been installed on the top of the Mandhata Parbat, whose foothills house the world-famous Omkareshwar Temple (home to one of the 12 jyotirlingas). The Mandhata Parbat in the Omkareshwar temple town is located on the banks of river Narmada.
“It was Adi Guru Shankaracharya who integrated the country culturally and spiritually. He established Maths in all four corners of the country and integrated the entire country through the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta,” Chouhan said.