A 180-feet-tall statue of Lord Hanuman built on the banks of the Vamsadhara River in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district has become a point of spiritual attraction for many devotees across the country.
Considered to be the world’s tallest Hanuman statue, a group of Mandapam devotees perceived the idea of the sculpture in 2005, following which a committee was formed in 2007 to develop the area on the banks of Vasmadhara River.
One of the founding members of the committee, MSN Raju, a native of Cheepurupalli, donated Rs 10 lakh to construct the statue. Following his footsteps, hundreds of devotees contributed huge amounts of money towards the construction of the sculpture, aiming to protect the ‘Haindava Dharma’ – the basic Hindu philosophy.
A ‘mandap’ was constructed in the same place in 2007 and a foundation stone was laid for the statue, where sages, spiritual masters and Vedic scholars across the country participated.
They blessed the place to become one of the spiritual centres in the country that would protect the ‘Haindava dharma’ and carry forward the Hindu culture and traditions for the betterment of the future generations.
The construction of the statue was completed in 2009. Jai Srikanth Swamy, founder and secretary of the Hanuman statue committee, said that they are regularly conducting ‘yagams’ and other rituals on the banks of Vamsadhara River “where the statue has been constructed, for the wellbeing of the mankind".
“Many people came forward to complete the gigantic task. The very purpose of constructing Lord Hanuman’s largest statue in the world is to protect the ‘Haindava dharma’ and enlighten the present generation on the importance of following one’s own dharma,” he added.