Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday unveiled a 12-feet statue of Adi Shankaracharya at the premises of the Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand during his visit to the temple town to inaugurate key projects.
The statue has been unveiled following its reconstruction after the original statue was washed away in the 2013 Uttarakhand floods. The statue has been built with the effort of nine artisans, including Mysore-based artist Arun Yogiraj, in a span of one year.
According to Hindustan Times's sister publication Live Hindustan, the statue, situated behind the Kedarnath Temple, has been reconstructed in the middle of the samadhi area. As per the report, about 18 models of the Adi Guru Shankaracharya statue were prepared, but only one was selected based on the consent of PM Modi.
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The reconstructed statue of Shankaracharya weighs 35 tonnes and it has been made by Mysore-based sculptors from chlorite schist, a rock that is known to withstand rain, sunshine and harsh climate.
{{/usCountry}}The reconstructed statue of Shankaracharya weighs 35 tonnes and it has been made by Mysore-based sculptors from chlorite schist, a rock that is known to withstand rain, sunshine and harsh climate.
{{/usCountry}}"It's a moment of joy for us. After nine months of toil for at least 14 hours a day, we completed the statue of Shankaracharya," news agency PTI quoted the scultor, Yogiraj, as saying.
Meanwhile, PM Modi on Friday said that he has been regularly reviewing redevelopment works at Kedarnath. While addressing people at Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, the Prime Minister said, "I reviewed the progress of different works being carried out here through drone footage. I want to thank all 'Rawals' here for their guidance for these works."
This is Prime Ministers' second visit to the temple during his term; the last time he visited the Kedarnath temple was in 2019.
Apart from unveiling the statue of Adi Shankaracharya, PM Modi also inaugurated various re-development projects worth ₹130 crore.