The 112-foot Shiva statue. (Source: ANI) The 112-foot Shiva statue. (Source: ANI)

On the occasion of Maha Shivratri, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday unveiled a 112-foot-tall Shiva statue in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Extolling the ancient Indian discipline of Yoga, the Prime Minister called for efforts to protect nature and mould human activities to bring them in sync with ecological surroundings.

Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao and Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami received Modi on his arrival here. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan and Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi also attended the event.

The statue was constructed by The Isha Foundation, which plans to set up similar statues in other parts of the country.

The statue and the foundation are located in the foothills of Velliangiri mountains in the Western Ghats.

At the event, PM Modi spoke about yoga and the importance of ideas.

“India has given the gift of Yoga to the world, by practising Yoga a spirit of oneness is created. Today whole world wants peace, not only from wars and conflicts but peace from stress, and for that we have Yoga” Modi said addressing the crowd after the unveiling of the statue.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking at the unveiling of the Shiva statue. (Source: ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking at the unveiling of the Shiva statue. (Source: ANI)

“Rejecting an idea just because it’s ancient, can be potentially harmful,” he added.

The city and the venue of the event was placed under a multi-tier security cover by police and the Special Protection Group, which guards the Prime Minister.

Modi was shown around various places in the Isha Yoga complex, including the Dhyana Linga, Surya Kund, Nandi statue and the inner and outer corridors (prakaras) by Isha Foundation’s founder Sadhguru Vasudev.

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has reportedly claimed that the foundation would set up similar statues in the northern, eastern and western parts of the country – eastern one in Varanasi, western one in Mumbai and northern one somewhere north of Delhi.

Audience at the unveiling of the Shiva statue in Coimbatore. (Source: ANI) Audience at the unveiling of the Shiva statue in Coimbatore. (Source: ANI)

Sadhguru Vasudev has claimed that it took two and half years to design the 112-foot-statue but its construction took just eight months. The face of Lord Shiva is made of steel. According to an official, the whole structure is estimated to weigh around 500 tonnes.

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