World's largest Shivling to be installed at Virat Ramayan Mandir complex in East Champaran of Bihar, Image courtesy Hindusthan
New Delhi: Built at Mahabalipuram of Tamil Nadu, the world’s largest Shivling weighting around 210 tonnes reached Bihar’s Gopalganj district after completing a journey of a month and a fortnight. The 33 feet Shivling, the tallest ever to be carved out of a single piece of a granite is all set to be installed at the Virat Ramayan Temple, Kaithwalia of East Champaran district on January 17.
The Shivling made of black granite and carved by skilled artisans traversed through the state of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh before entering Bihar on January 5, where devotees received it with utmost joy and devotion. The women devotees were seen singing religious hymns in local dialect dedicated to Bhagwan Shiv.
People were seen queuing up, offering their respect and showering flowers on the Shivling as it passes through the region in a specially designed vehicle with chants of Har Har Mahadev filling the air. The Shivling will reach Kaithwalia soon, marking completion of a journey exceeding over 2500 km commenced on November 21.
The Shivling was built at Pattikadu village of Mahabalipuram and have 108 Sahastralingam engraved on it. It will be installed at the Shiv temple, one among the 22 temples being erected at the Virat Ramayan Mandir amidst chanting of Vedic Mantras and offering of water brought from five sacred places including Kailash Mansarovar, Prayagraj, Haridwar, Gangotri and Sonepur.
Spanning across over 120 acres, the Virat Ramayan Mandir being built in East Champaran district of Bihar will be the world’s largest Hindu temple upon its completion. The temple project, envisioned by the then secretary of Mahavir Mandir Trust, late Acharya Kishor Kunal, a former IPS and a prominent figure in the Ram Janmabhhomi movement is expected to be completed by the year 2030.
The temple complex upon its completion will have 18 towers and 22 temples dedicated to separate deities with the main temple touching a height of 270 feet. As per details, the complex will be 1080 feet in length and around 540 feet wide with its outer walls depicting scenes from Ramayana.
The temple complex will have four 180-feet tall towers while the height of 8 other towers will be around 108 feet each. The Shivling upon its installation is likely to be the centrepiece of attraction for the devotees visiting complex.
