A 90-foot-tall bronze statue of Lord Hanuman unveiled near Houston, symbolising “a new milestone in America’s cultural and spiritual landscape”, has become the latest landmark statue in Texas visible from miles away, and the third tallest statue in the US.
Organisers said the Statue of Union, as it is called, is one of the tallest statues in the world and has several other distinctions: it is the tallest Hanuman statue outside India, the tallest in Texas, and the third tallest statue in the United States, taller only than the Statue of Liberty in New York (151 feet) and the Pegasus and Dragon in Hallandale Beach, Florida (110 feet).
The ‘Statue of Unity’ Hanuman statue was unveiled during the grand Prana Pratishtha Mahotsav celebrations held from August 15 to 18 at the Shree Ashtalakshmi Temple at Sugar Land, around 35 km from here, organisers said. The statue symbolises “selflessness, devotion and unity”. They said the statue has been named “in honour of Hanuman’s important role in the reunion of Lord Ram and Sita”.
“This awe-inspiring structure is the result of the visionary efforts of Padma Bhushan awardee and renowned Vedic scholar His Holiness Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji, who envisioned this project as a spiritual hub of North America,” the organisers said in a statement.
The celebrations began on August 15, which coincides with India’s Independence Day, and the main part of the festivities began with the grand Prana Pratishtha ceremony on August 18. “The rituals conducted under the leadership of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji and under the supervision of a horde of Vedic priests and scholars were a powerful display of devotion and spirituality,” the statement said.
The ceremony saw flower showers on the Hanuman statue from a helicopter, holy water sprinkled and a 72-foot long garland placed around Hanuman’s neck as thousands of devotees chanted the names of Sri Ram and Hanuman in unison.
The organisers said the statue not only symbolizes the indomitable spirit of Hanuman but is also a new landmark in the cultural and spiritual landscape of America, embodying the principles of devotion, strength and unity for all who come to witness its grandeur.
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