A 33-foot-long, 210-tonne Shiva Lingam, touted as the world's tallest, has reached Bihar after a 3,000-km journey from Tamil Nadu. It will be installed at the under-construction Virat Ramayana Temple in Kaithwalia, East Champaran, on January 17, with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and other leaders attending. Carved from a single black granite rock, it marks a key milestone in the ambitious project.
Bihar has edged closer to completing its ambitious Virat Ramayana Temple with the arrival of a massive 33-foot-long, 210-tonne Shiva Lingam after a journey exceeding 3,000 km from Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu. The Lingam, carved from a single black granite rock by local artisans over more than three years and featuring 1,008 smaller Shiva Lingams etched on it, reached the state via Gopalganj on Monday. It will stand 51 feet high once installed on January 17 at the temple site in Kaithwalia, East Champaran.
Conceptualized by the late Kishore Kunal, former head of the Bihar State Religious Trust Council, the temple is a 125-acre, Rs 500-crore project featuring a 270-foot-tall main structure, 18 towers, and 22 subsidiary temples dedicated to various deities. Land for the site was donated by East Champaran resident Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan, who contributed 71 decimals, along with donations from Hindu families.
Kishore Kunal's son, Saayan, welcomed the Lingam at Gopalganj alongside minister Ashok Choudhary. Saayan told The Indian Express, “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.”
The journey, overseen by K Sudhakaran of the Mahavir Temple Trust, began on November 21. A team of five to six people traveled with the low-speed convoy, limited to 60 km per day to prevent damage, with three drivers rotating shifts and shock absorbers checked at every stop. Crowds gathered enthusiastically along the route through Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, including a day-long halt in Nagpur for villagers to offer prayers.
The pran pratishtha ceremony on January 17 will draw top state leaders, including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, BJP national working president Nitin Nabin, and saints. Though the temple is slated for completion in 2030, Saayan noted that the event will feature a huge gathering befitting the devotion shown to the Lingam.
