‘India’s tallest’ Ram statue in Sambhal nears completion, CM likely to unveil it

The Ram Bagh Dham Trust, an NGO, which began the construction work on May 31, 2023, claims that this is the tallest statue of the deity in the country

LUCKNOW A 51-ft-tall statue of Lord Ram, nearing completion in Chandausi area of UP’s Sambhal district, is likely to be unveiled by chief minister Yogi Adityanath in February.

The statue, coming up at the Ramleela ground at Ram Bagh Dham, features Lord Ram carrying a bow in one hand and blessing devotees with the other hand. (Sourced)

The Ram Bagh Dham Trust, an NGO, which began the construction work on May 31, 2023, claims that this is the tallest statue of the deity in the country.

The statue, coming up at the Ramleela ground at Ram Bagh Dham, features Lord Ram carrying a bow in one hand and blessing devotees with the other hand.

Sambhal has been in the news after a local court on November 19, 2024, accepted a petition for a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. The court appointed an advocate commissioner who carried out an initial survey the same day in the evening. A second round of the survey began on November 24, sparking protests and violence that claimed four lives.

“The statue’s construction began on May 31, 2023, and is now in its final stages. We expect it to be ready by February,” said Ram Bagh Dham Trust president Ashok Kumar Fancy.

Last year, the trust had written to chief minister Yogi Adityanath, requesting him to inaugurate the statue. The latter responded by writing back to the trust. The Trust received CM’s letter on November 8, 2024, appreciating the project.

“We have requested the CM to inaugurate the statue. I am hopeful that he will come whenever the statue is inaugurated,” added Amit Kumar.

According to the trust, the project was conceptualised when construction work of Ram Mandir began in Ayodhya on August 5, 2020.

The construction of the statue began on May 31, 2023. As per Hindu mythology, Sambhal’s Chandausi area is famous as ‘Mini Vrindavan’ . There are 68 pilgrimages and 19 wells in Sambhal.

A nearly 150-year-old stepwell (’baoli’), measuring 400 square metres, was discovered in Lakman Ganj area of Sambhal district’s Chandausi tehsil on December 21, 2024.

Excavation work of this stepwell is on under the supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India.