Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently unveiled the 108-feet tall 'Statue of Oneness' of Adi Shankaracharya on the bank of the Narmada River at Omkareshwar approximately 260km from the state capital (Bhopal).
This event comes in the backdrop of an event where the BJP leadership in the State has targeted the opposition Congress over DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's remarks calling for the eradication of Sanatan Dharma.
The statue weighs 100 tonnes and has been installed on a 75-foot-high platform. It is made up of bronze that contains 88% copper, 4% zinc and 8% tin. The statue's internal structure has been built with high-quality steel.
The design of the statue was conceptualized by painter Vasudeo Kamnath, who found inspiration in Raja Ravi Verma's depiction of Shankaracharya. The only painting we had was of Raja Ravi Verma who made his painting depicting him as a 20-22 year old man. Kamnath also visited Shankaracharya's birthplace in Kerala where he studied the clothing style of men during that era, the rivers, the homes, and their architectural design.
The 'Statue of Oneness', conceptualized around six years ago, depicts Shankaracharya as a 12-year-old guild who is said to have visited this sacred abode of Lord Shiva.
The Chief Minister regards Shankaracharya as "Endowed with self-knowledge, Acharya played a significant role in reviving Sanatan Dharma advocating the philosophy of Advaita and Vedanta and promoting cultural unity."
Chouhan also laid the foundation stone for a Rs 2, 200-crore 'Advait Lok' which will contain a museum situated on Omkareshwar Mandhata Hill, overlooking the Narmada river.
The museum will include a 3D hologram projection gallery, nine exhibition galleries, an indoor wide-screen theatre, and a cultural boat ride called Advaita Narmada Vihar which will take visitors on an audio-visual journey through the teachings of Shankaracharya.
The entire project is expected to be completed by 2026. The entire project was designed by the Indian team and L&T company, they got different parts of the statue from China, and many things have come from other parts of the world.
This project is expected to boost tourism in the state and along with Ujjain, Maheshwar, and Mandu, a big tourism circuit will be formed in the State thereby boosting the growth of the State.
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