NEW DELHI: At a time when the construction of grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya is on the verge of completion, home minister Amit Shah on Sunday laid the foundation stone of construction of a grand 108 feet tall statue of Lord Ram at Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh.
Shah laid the foundation stone through video conferencing and said that the statue will be a milestone towards spreading and strengthening the Sanatana religion in the region. The statue will be built at a cost of more than Rs 500 crore. Shah said that this 108 feet tall statue of Lord Shri Ram to be installed in Mantralayam village in Kurnool will give the message of ‘sanatan dharma’ to the entire world for many ages and will strengthen the Vaishnava tradition in the country and the world.
The Union home minister and minister of cooperation said that the project is spread over an area of 10 acres in Mantralayam village situated on the banks of Tungabhadra river and would be completed in two and a half years. This place has historical significance as the great Vijayanagara empire, which originated on the banks of the Tungabhadra river, restored “Swadesh and Swadharma by driving out the invaders from the entire south”.
Shah said that under the Mantralayam Das Sahitya Prakalp, many initiatives like housing, Anna Daanam, Pran Daanam, Vidya Daanam, drinking water and cow protection have been taken.
Shah said that PM Narendra Modi has paved the way for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya by laying the foundation stone which was pending since many years. Now, soon the idol of Ramlala will be installed in the temple and after hundreds of years once again Lord Shri Ram will be at his own place.
On the occasion of laying the foundation stone of the grand statue of Lord Ram, the minister paid respect to Mathadhish of the Math, Saint Madhvacharya ji, Saint Raghavendra Swami ji and the “very rich Vaishnava tradition of the South and all its saints”.
