Tallest Hanuman statue to be installed near Hampi in Karnataka

A 215-metre idol of Lord Hanuman will be installed at Karnataka's Pampapur Kishkindha, a Hampi-based trust's president said on Monday. Kishkindha is located on the outskirts of Hampi in northern district of Ballari, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The president of the Hanumad Janmabhoomi Teerth Kheshtra Trust, Swami Govind Anand Saraswati, made the announcement after meeting Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Saraswati told PTI that they will be taking out a rath yatra throughout the country and will collect donations from the general public for the statue to be constructed at Rs 1,200 crore.

He said Lord Hanuman's statue will be of 215 metres. His statue cannot be higher than the 221-metre Lord Ram's statue being built in Ayodhya as he was his eternal devotee, said Saraswati.

Saraswati said his organisation will also donate a grand 80-foot rath to the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kheshtra Trust tasked with building the Ayodhya temple.

It will be built in two years with an investment of Rs 2 crore, Saraswati said.

It may be recalled that in July 2019, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had said the tallest statue of Lord Shri Ram would be installed in Ayodhya on the 100-acre site. Other than the statue, the state government will also be making arrangements for tourist facilities like digital museum, interpretation centre, library, and food plaza among others, 

At that time PTI had reported that the 251-metre Lord Ram statue will be the world's tallest. The Statue of Liberty in New York is 93 metres, Dr BR Ambedkar's statue in Mumbai is 137.2 metres, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's tribute in Gujarat is 183 meters, Gautam Buddha's statue in China is 208 meters and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue in Mumbai is 212 meters.