Madhwacharya monolith likely to be ready in May

50 sculptors working on the monolithic statue in Kunjargiri

Sculptors carving the 32ft statue of Sri Madhwacharya at Kunjargiri in Udupi district on Thursday.

The “bhoomi puja” ceremony (laying of foundation stone) for the installation of 32ft statue of exponent of Dwaita philosophy Sri Madhwacharya was held here on Thursday.

Vishwapriya Tirtha Swamiji of Admar Math laid the foundation stone for the installation of the statue at the site located at the Kunjargiri hill. The site overlooks Udupi-Pajaka 2Road. It is also on way to the Sri Durga Temple atop the hill. The Kunjargiri hill is located about 11km from Udupi on the way to Pajaka, the birthplace of Sri Madhwacharya.

The installation of the statue is an ambitious project of Vidyadheesha Tirtha Swamiji of Palimar Math. The land for the project was donated by the Admar Math. Even as the foundation stone-laying ceremony was taking place, sculptors were working on carving the statue.

Construction

Speaking to presspersons, Vidyadheesha Tirtha said the monolithic statue would be placed on a 10ft platform called the “padmapeetha”, which would be placed on a 27-feet base structure.

A 180-tonne rock structure, brought from a quarry at Koira in Devanahalli village near Bangalore, was taken atop the Kunjargiri hill on August 22, 2013. The cost of the entire project is estimated at Rs. 1.5 crore. The monolithic rock structure itself cost Rs. 30 lakh and its transportation from Devanahalli to Kunjargiri had cost Rs. 25 lakh.

The statue would be sculpted following 32 parameters laid down in the “Tantrasara Sangraha” written by Sri Madhwacharya. As many as 50 sculptors under the guidance of master-sculptor Ashok Gudigar are breathing life into the statue.

No rush

“Mr. Gudigar has said the sculpting of the statue would be completed by May 30. But we do not want to force him and his sculptors to expedite the work. We want them to take their own time and sculpt the statue properly,” Vidyadheesha Tirtha said.

An open temple along with a garden around with a calm place to meditate would be constructed around the statue, he said.

Vishwapirya Tirtha said that southern India had contributed three great philosophers to the country — Sri Shankaracharya, Sri Madhwacharya and Sri Ramanujacharya. Sri Madhwacharya had emphasised that merely reading spiritual texts and going to temples was not enough, people should also serve the society and the country, he said.