‘Bhumi pujan’ of largest Hindu temple today

Patna (Bihar) : Mahavir Mandir Trust of the city is all set to start construction of the largest Hindu temple in the world from Thursday. Five pandits (priests) from Kashi (Benaras) have come to perform ‘bhumi pujan’ of the temple on a plot of land at Bahuara-Kathwalia villages on Kesariya-Chakia road in East Champaran district.

The trust has already acquired 100 acres of land for the project and is ready with Rs 200 crore in its kitty.

The ‘bhumi pujan’ would be done in accordance with Indian ‘shastras’ from 8am to 10am on Thursday. Mythology has it that Ram and Janaki had arrived here after their marriage on way to Ayodhya from Janakpur, according to Acharya Kishore Kunal, secretary of the trust, who is the man behind this mammoth project.

"This largest temple in the world will be known as ‘Viraat Ramayan Mandir’. It will borrow architectural designs from the Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia, and Rameshwaram and Madurai temples in Tamil Nadu. The ‘shikhars (spires)’ will be after Angkor Wat temple. Whereas the Angkor Wat temple has got 9 spires, this ‘Viraat Ramayan’ temple will have 12 such spires. In addition, six other spires will be like the South Indian temples," said Kishore Kunal and Piyush Sompura, the main architect of the temple from Gujarat.

Talking to reporters here on Wednesday, they said the temple would have 18 sanctum sanctorum and an equal number of shikhars. The main sanctum sanctorum would consist of the idols of Lord Ram, Sita, Lava-Kush and Maharshi Valmiki. These would be built with stones brought from Chunar in Mirzapur district of UP.

All major episodes of Ramayana would be presented on the temple premises either in the sanctum sanctorum or in the galleries which will have electronic gadgets brought from Spain for the purpose, they said.

Piyush Sompura of Ahmedabad has made the design of this temple and is actively associated with this project, which will cost more than Rs 300 crore and get completed in a span of 7-8 years. This will be the largest Hindu temple in the world in length, width and height. Sompura also showed a short film on various aspects of the temple

After construction of the temple, Mahavir Mandir Trust, which has established four charitable hospitals in Patna, would establish a school where students from below the poverty line sections would be imparted free education. In addition, it would establish a charitable hospital which would be the branch of cancer and paediatric hospitals run by the temple trust in Patna, Kunal said.

Source : TOI