''Adiyogi Shiva'' statue

The Adiyogi Shiva statue is a 112-foot-tall (34 m) statue of Hindu deity Shiva located at Coimbatore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Designed by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, founder of the Isha Foundation, it was built by the foundation and weighs around 500 tonnes (490 long tons; 550 short tons).^[1] Sadhguru said that the statue is for inspiring and promoting yoga, and is named Adiyogi, which means "the first yogi", because god Shiva is known as the originator of yoga.

Adiyogi Shiva was inaugurated on 24 February 2017 by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri – a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of Shiva. The Indian Ministry of Tourism has included the statue as a consecration destination in its official Incredible India campaign.^[2] The Adiyogi Statue has been recognized as the "Largest Bust Sculpture" by Guinness World Records.^[3]

Description

Adiyogi Shiva is located at the Isha Yoga complex which houses the Dhyanalinga in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu at the foothills of Velliangiri Mountains, a range in the Western Ghats.^[5] The statue was designed over two years and manufactured within eight months. The bust is cast in steel. The height of the statue, 112 feet, symbolizes the 112 possibilities to attain to moksha (liberation) that are mentioned in yogic culture. Sadhguru also said that the height represents the 112 chakras in the human system.^[4][1]

The Isha Foundation plans to erect such statues in three more locations in the eastern, western and northern parts of India - in Varanasi, Mumbai and Delhi.^[4] The statue's face is world's tallest bust of Shiva.^[6][7] The tallest Shiva statue is the Kailashnath Mahadev Statue in Nepal 20-km east of the capital, Katmandu, which is 143 feet (44 m) tall.^[8]

A Shivalinga called "Yogeshwar Linga" was consecrated through the ceremony called prana pratishtha, and is placed in front of the Adiyogi Shiva statue. This linga has five chakras – Muladhara (root chakra), Svadhishthana (sacral chakra), Manipura (solar plexus chakra), Vishuddhi (throat chakra), and Ajna (third eye chakra), and each one of them has sixteen dimensions. The linga specifically has no Anahata (heart chakra) as it is to represent a "a heartless yogi", not heartless as being insensitive but inclusive who doesn't need emotions.^[9] Sadhguru notes that the statue is named as "Adiyogi", which means "the first yogi", as Shiva is known as the originator of yoga.^[10] The South-facing Adiyogi is also called Dakshinamurthy and Adi Guru (first Guru).^[11]

Inauguration

In 2014, on Guru Poornima, a 21-foot (6.4 m) version of the same statue was unveiled at the Isha Yoga Center. This version weighed 30 tons and was constructed in three months by a team of fifteen people. This statue was also made of steel.^[12] On 30 January 2017, a replica model of the statue was taken out in a procession.^[13]

The main statue was inaugurated by Narendra Modi on Maha Shivaratri, 24 February 2017. He also inaugurated the book Adiyogi: The Source of Yoga written by Sadhguru and Arundhathi Subramaniam, and lit the yajna fire for the Maha Yoga Yagna. Notable politicians present at the event include Tamil Nadu Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Minister Pon Radhakrishnan, and Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi. Along with politicians, various celebrities from Bollywood as well as Kollywood like actresses Juhi Chawla and Kajal Aggarwal were also present.^[5][14]

To mark the unveiling of the statue, the song "Adiyogi - The source of Yoga" was released by the Isha Foundation on YouTube on 19 February 2017. The song was sung and composed by Kailash Kher with the lyrics being written by Prasoon Joshi and also performed live at the inaugural function by Kher.^[15] Narendra Modi at the inauguration mentioned that "[by] practising Yoga, a spirit of oneness is created. Oneness of mind, body and the intellect, oneness with our families and with the society we live in, with fellow humans and with birds, animals and trees."^[16] Another 21-foot (6.4 m) statue of Adiyogi was unveiled in Tennessee, USA, in October 2015 by the Isha Foundation. The abode called "Adiyogi: The Abode of Yoga" in Tennessee is spread over a 30,000-square-foot area and the project cost over $8 million.^[17]

Controversy

Various environmental activists and groups protested the inauguration claiming that the statue was built in the catchment area of the Noyyal River, thus affecting biodiversity and violating building bylaws. A Public Interest Litigation was also filed by Vellingiri Hill Tribal Protection Society in the Madras High Court challenging the construction of the statue. The Isha Foundation however stated that it has acquired all the required approvals of the construction.^[18] On 1 March 2017, the Deputy Director of Town and Country Planning filed their report stating that the statue and various buildings like the arch, road, a parking lot and mandapams (outdoor hall or pavilion) were constructed without taking proper approvals.^[19][20] The matter is currently sub judice as the High Court will await for responses from all the concerned twelve respondents in the case before taking the decision.^[21]

References