After the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, India has another high and magnificent statue almost ready to be inaugurated in January. This statue of Lord Shiva is at Ganesh Tekri, Nathdwara, and is 351 feet high and reportedly one of the tallest Shiva statues.

This magnificent structure is visible from a distance of 20 kms and is a jaw-dropping structure. The company from Gujarat making this structure has been given a deadline and there are all the probabilities that the statue will be inaugurated in January. Entry ticket will be required for visiting this place, though the ticket price has not yet been decided.

The work of the approach road, parking and adventure park for children is in the final stage. Necessary arrangements are being made for the programmes to be held for the inaugural function. Entering the structure will itself be quite an adventurous feel. The jal-abhishek can be performed from 351 feet for which 2 water holes have been made with a capacity of 5000 litres each. It has been informed that one of the water holes will be used for the purpose of fire-safety.

As of now, the 2 approach roads to the statue are of 30 and 40 feet respectively. A hall has been made inside the statue wherein tourists will be shown the entire process of the building of the statue from scratch via projector. A telescope will be placed at 250 feet inside so that tourists can take a look at far away distances and the Aravali ranges will also be visible from this point.

The area covered is 16 acres. The base of the statue is 110 feet high. 2600 tonnes of steel and 2601 tonnes of iron has been used for the statue. 26618 cubic metre cement-concrete have been used. The statue weighs 30 thousand tonnes. There are 3 herbal gardens in an area of 52,380 square feet. There is also a provision of open food court which will be able to accommodate around 400 people.

The design of the statue has been prepared by a senior professor of IIT Rourkee where complete care has been taken to keep it safe for 250 years. It has undergone wind-tunnel test in Australia. The statue can withstand the wind’s velocity at 250 km/hr and is protected by rain and sun rays by a coating of zinc and is copper coloured.

The face of Lord Shiva which is 70 feet long depicts that he is under meditation. The entire structure is air-conditioned and has 4 lifts inside. 2 of the lifts can take 30 visitors at one time to a height of 110 feet, the other 2 are meant to take the people from 110 feet to 351 feet wherein 13 people can go at one time. 3 Separate staircases have been made for the people taking care of repair and maintenance. The 2-storeyed parking lot can accommodate 250 cars and 200 two-wheelers. A platform has also been made so that people can take selfies with the statue. A laser fountain has been made on 17,500 square feet area where 500 people can enjoy the musical fountain at one time. Terrace gardens have been made in front of the food court. Handicraft shops have also been set up which will have the special handicraft items from Nathdwara. 

HAR HAR MAHADEV