MP to embrace the Statue of Oneness: All about 108-ft tall statue of Adi Shankaracharya

Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India is all set to embrace the Statue of Oneness dedicated to Adi Shankaracharya. The 108-foot-tall statue will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on September 18 at Omkareshwar, a temple town which houses one of the 12 Jyotirlingas dedicated to Lord Shiva.

All about 'Statue of Oneness' 

The towering structure dedicated to the 8th-century philosopher, an influential and revered figure in Hinduism, has been named “Ekatmata Ki Pratima” (statue of oneness).

Efforts were being made to transform Omkareshwar, which is situated on the banks of the Narmada River about 80 km from Indore, into a major hub for the Advaita Vedanta philosophy promoted by Adi Shankaracharya,  as per official release. The construction of the statue on the Mandhata mountain in the temple town is part of the first phase of the development project, it said.

The multi-metal 108-feet-high statue depicts Adi Shankaracharya as a 12-year-old boy and it will be unveiled by CM Chouhan, said the release. This comes just months ahead of the year-end assembly elections in the state.

Adi Shankaracharya who was born in Kerala is believed to have reached Omkareshwar after becoming a 'sanyasi' (monk) at a very young age, where he met his guru Govind Bhagwadpad and resided in the religious city for four years and attained education.

According to religious beliefs, he left Omkareshwar at the age of 12 and travelled across the country spreading the Advaita Vedanta philosophy and explaining its tenets to people.

The statue will be accompanied by a museum complex, fashioned with traditional temple architecture style. It will have 3D hologram projection galleries, artworks, a wide-screen theatre and a cultural boat ride called Advaita Narmada Vihar, where the visitors will be embarking on an audio-visual journey through the great teachings and anecdotes of Adi Shankaracharya, it said.

Shri Adi Shankaracharya International Institute of Advaita Vedanta will be a centre for further study, understanding and sharing of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Vedanta, the release said. Along with the establishment of a museum named "Advaita Lok" in Omkareshwar and an international Vedanta institute, an "Advaita Forest" is also being developed across 36 hectares in the town.

(With PTI inputs)