108-feet tall lord Ram statue to come up in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool

Amit Shah virtually laid the foundation stone for a 108-feet tall statue of Lord Ram in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday virtually laid the foundation stone for a 108-feet tall statue of Lord Ram, which once built is expected to be the country's tallest, in Kurnool town of Andhra Pradesh.

Kurnool: Glimpse of the 108 feet tall statue of Lord Shri Ram which were lays the foundation stone by the Union Minister for Home Affairs and Cooperation Amit Shah through video conferencing, in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, Sunday.(PTI)

Shah hoped that the statue will "immerse" Kurnool with emotion and devotion towards Lord Ram.

"Laid the foundation stone for a 108-foot-tall statue of Prabhu Shri Ramachandra Ji, to be built by Shri Raghavendra Swami Mutt at Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh," Shah tweeted.

He also wished that the colossal statue will inspire people to remain unwavering in their commitment to India's rich and timeless civilizational values.

‘Ram Temple work in Ayodhya in full swing’

Meanwhile, the construction work of the much awaited Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya is also in full swing. The ground floor of the three-storey temple is set to be open to devotees in January next year, an official aware of the details said on Sunday.

The construction of the entire temple will be completed by 2025, the officials said.

“The ground floor of the temple is almost ready. Now, final touches and some pending work are being carried out. The ground floor will be opened to devotees in January and the entire temple will be completed by 2025. The construction work on the first floor of the temple has begun,” architect and project manager Jagdish Aphale said.

The temple’s foundation was laid in an elaborate ceremony presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5, 2020.

The official added that all five mandaps – gudh mandap, rang mandap, nritya mandap, prathana mandap and kirtan mandap – of the temple are ready.

“On the ground floor, 160 pillars have been built. Six are made of white Makrana marble from Nagaur district, and the remaining are of pink sandstone from Bansi Paharpur – both in Rajasthan,” Aphale said, adding that 132 pillars will be built on the first floor and 74 on the second floor.