108-foot-tall Sri Rama statue to be installed in Mantralayam

KURNOOL: Mantralayam is all set to witness the grandeur of the “world's tallest,” 108-feet Lord Rama statue, which would be ready within the next couple of years.

Union home minister Amit Shah laid the foundation for the Rama Temple project, by virtual mode from Delhi on Sunday.

The iconic project, estimated to cost Rs 300 crore, is being undertaken by the Jai Shri Ram Foundation. Renowned sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar, known for his work on Sardar Patel's statue in Gujarat, is designing the magnificent Lord Ram statue.

A Ram temple would come up in front of the statue, sprawling a vast 10-acre plot, approximately a km away from the revered Mantralayam Sri Mutt.

The deity holds immense significance as the presiding deity Raghavendra Swamy is respected by millions of devotees. Keeping this in mind, Subudhendra Theertha, the seer of Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt, allotted 10 acres of land for installation of Lord Ram's divine idol.

This temple will be devised as an excellent stone-structure under the skilled guidance of architect A Velu.

This initiative is not just limited to Lord Ram's statue and temple in Mantralayam. Ambitious plans are on for constructing small temples in the premises of the Rama temple there, inspired by shrines such as the Tirumala Venkateswara Swamy Temple, the Vishwanath Temple in Kashi, the Narasimhaswamy Temple in Simhachalam, the Badrinath Temple in Uttarakhand, the Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala, the Basara Gnana Saraswati Temple, the Cheluva Narayanaswamy Temple in Karnataka, the Mooshanam Varahaswamy Temple in Tamil Nadu and Vithoba Rukmini Temple in Maharashtra.

Seer of the Mutt Subudhendra Theertha and Mutt members, as also labour minister Gummanuru Jayaram, Mantralayam legislator Y Balanagi Reddy, former Rajyasabha member TG Venkatesh and others were also present.

In addition to the virtual foundation stone-laying by Amit Shah, the formal rituals were conducted in a traditional manner by the Mutt priests.