Ahead of Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan unveiled a 108-foot tall statue of the 8th-century Hindu spiritual leader Adi Shankaracharya. Singh inaugurated the statue in Omkareshwar district of Madhya Pradesh recently. Over 5,000 devotees attended the event.
Adi Shankaracharya, one of the greatest proponents of Sanatan Dharma, lived a short life of 32 years. The statue is referred to as ‘Statue of Oneness’ and depicts the image of a 12-year old version of Adi Shankaracharya. As per reports, the statue is entirely designed by Indian artists, sculptures and engineers with some elements shipped from China to Mumbai port.
The statue has got inspiration from Raja Ravi Verma’s depiction of Shankaracharya according to the visualiser Vasudeo Kamath. He said, “Nobody has seen a child form of Adi Shankaracharya. The only painting we had was of Raja Ravi Verma who made his painting depicting him as a 20-22 year old man. I studied the faces of 11-12 year old Kerala boys, their face structure and other features while making my painting.”
The idol weighs 100 tonnes as it is made up of Copper alloy, that is, 88% copper, 4% zinc and 8% tin which makes the outer body of bronze, a strong element that can live up for thousands of years but need constant care and the interior is made up of high-quality steel, the reports claimed.
The news of the statue comes at a time when DMK’s Udhayanidhi Stalin caused a massive controversy over his ‘eradication of Sanatan Dharma’ remark. In a couple of months, Madhya Pradesh will be holding Assembly elections. Chief Minister Chauhan addressed the event saying, “Endowed with self-knowledge, Acharya played a crucial role in reviving Sanatan Dharma, advocating for the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta and promoting cultural unity.”