108-ft Adi Shankaracharya Statue to be Unveiled in MP

Bhopal: Stage is set for unveiling of 108 ft-high statue of Adi Shankaracharya, the icon of ‘Unity and Oneness’, in the holy town of Omkareshwar in Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is scheduled to inaugurate the towering statue on the picturesque hill of Mandhata overlooking mighty Narmada river amid rituals of  ‘21 container havans’ by around 300 renowned Vedic Acharyas on the day, officials said here on Wednesday.

Maharsi Sandeepani Rashtriya Veda Vidya Pratishtan in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh will oversee the religious functions to be organised on the occasion with the guidance from Sringeri Sharada Peetham.

Around 5,000 seers are expected to attend the occasion.

The chief minister is also scheduled to lay the foundation for Advait Lok or corridor proposed in the line of Mahakal Lok built in Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain, at the site.

The bronze alloy statue of the eighth century philosopher stands on a 75 ft-high concrete pedestal.

The statue is of an 11-year-old image of the great saint, revered as the reincarnation of Lord Shiva by the Hindus.

It is in walking posture making it one of its kind statues in the world.

“The life expectancy of the statue is approximately 500 years and it is designed to withstand extreme wind conditions and earth-quake force”, the literature on the statue released by the Madhya Pradesh government said.

The proposed Advait Lok will be built over an area of 15.6 hectares.

A museum showcasing the lifetime of Adi Shankaracharya is also proposed at the site.

Adi Shankaracharya had united six sects with his propagation of Vedanta philosophy of ‘Oneness’.