Viraat Ramayan Mandir

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Viraat Ramayan Mandir
विराट रामायण मंदिर
Viraat Ramayan Mandir.jpg
Plan of Viraat Ramayan Mandir
Religion
Affiliation Hinduism
Deity Rama, Sita and Shiva
Festivals Rama Navami • Deepavali • Vijayadashami
Governing body Mahavir Mandir Trust, Patna
StatusUnder construction
Location
LocationKaithawalia, NH-227A, Chakia-Kesariya road, East Champaran, Bihar
State Bihar
Country India
India Bihar location map.svg
Om symbol.svg
Location in Bihar
Coordinates 26°22′55″N84°55′59″E / 26.382°N 84.933°E / 26.382; 84.933
Architecture
CreatorMahavira Mandiram Trust, Patna
Completed2026 (expected)
Site area161 acres
Website
viraatramayanmandir.com

Viraat Ramayan Mandir is an under-construction Hindu temple complex located at the twin villages of Kaithawalia and Bahuara, near Chakia in East Champaran district of Tirhut division, Bihar, India.

Contents

The project is being developed by the Mahavir Mandir Trust, Patna, and is planned to be one of the largest Hindu temple complexes in the world.

The temple complex is dedicated primarily to Lord Rama and Sita, and is inspired by the architectural style of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. It is designed to include multiple shrines and is expected to be completed by 2026. [1] . [2] It is being built with a cost of 500 crore rupees [3] and is planned to be 123 metres (405 ft) high, double height of Angkor Wat Hindu Temple in Cambodia, [4] and to have a hall that seats 20,000 people. [5]

Virat Ramayan Mandir is completely funded by the Mahavir Mandir Patna Trust, Tata is the construction company which has subcontracted the Suntech Infra Solutions for the civil works which has previously undertaken other successful projects in Bihar such as NTPC, Fertilizer and IOCL Barauni. The construction of the temple, scheduled to commence in June 2015, was delayed due to Cambodia government's protest to the government of India however the issue was successfully resolved. The expected completion date is 2026. [6]

Planning

The temple is inspired from Angkor Wat of Cambodia and Ramanathaswamy Temple of Rameshvaram and Meenakshi Sundareshvara Temple of Madurai in Tamilnadu. The temple will comprise 18 shrines for various Hindu deities; Rama and Sita being the principal deities. [7] The plan is spearheaded by Acharya Kishore Kunal.

Patna based, Mahavira Mandiram Trust first proposed the project, as Virata Angkor Wat Rama Sita Mandiram in Hajipur modeled on Angkor Wat, [8] the twin city of Patna. The temple trust acquired 65 hectares (161 acres) of land in East Champaran district [9] and therefore the earlier site of Hajipur had been abandoned.

In August 2012, following the concerns raised by the Cambodian Government, [10] the Indian Government requested the Mahavira Mandiram Trust to not build exact replica of Angkor Wat as it will collapse due to the structural weakness. [11] Consequently, the trust changed the name from the Virata Angkor Wat Rama Sita Temple to the Virata Ramayana Mandiram. On November 13, 2013, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar unveiled a model of the temple. [12]

Shivling

The Viraat Ramayan Mandir complex also includes a large Shiva temple where a massive monolithic Shivling has been installed. The Shivling, carved from a single block of black granite, is considered one of the largest in the world. It measures approximately 33 feet in height and weighs around 210 tonnes. It was crafted in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, and transported to Bihar using special heavy-load transport systems.

The Shivling was installed on 17 January 2026, following traditional Vedic rituals and ceremonies conducted by priests and saints.

The inclusion of a Shiva shrine within a temple complex dedicated to Rama and Sita reflects the harmony between Shaivite and Vaishnav traditions in Hinduism. [13] [14]

Location

It is located 120 km northeast of Patna - the capital of Bihar, 102 km northeast of Vaishali, 12 km west of Chakia, 31 km south of Motihari, and 86 km south of Raxaul. Its exact location is at Janaki Nagar south of Motihari in East Champaran district in North Bihar. It will be spread over an area of 51 hectares (125 acres) [15] at Bahuara-Kathwalia villages on Chakia-Kesariya road in East Champaran district. [16] It will be 850 metres (2,800 ft) in length, 430 metres (1,400 ft) in width and 123 metres (405 ft) in height. [9] [17]

Temple Trust

Since 1987 Mahavir Mandir is managed by a trust composed of 11 members. This trust is Registered under Bihar Hindu Religious Trust Act, 1950. As of February 2024, the following people were the trustees: [18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Virata Mandiram in Bihar to overtake Angkor Wat as world's largest Hindu temple and Temple : North, News". India Today. 2 October 2013. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "Bihar Mahavira Temple second highest income earner in north India after Vaishno Devi Temple". Bihartimes.in. Archived from the original on 27 July 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  3. ↑ "Virata Ramayana Mandiram, Bihar". Mahavirmandirpatna.org. 1 January 2004. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  4. ↑ "World's largest temple to be built in India – after Muslims donate the land for Hindu shrine". The Daily Telegraph. 22 May 2015. Archived from the original on 28 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  5. ↑ "Virata Mandiram in Bihar to overtake Angkor Wat as world's largest Hindu temple and Temple : North, News". India Today. 2 October 2013. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  6. ↑ "Cambodian government protested in June". indiatoday.co.in. 7 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "'Bhumi pujan' of largest Hindu temple today". The Times of India . TNN. 21 June 2012. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  8. ↑ "Angkor Wat temple 'Bhumi-pujan' today". The Times of India. 5 March 2012. Archived from the original on 11 May 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  9. 1 2 "Site Plan". Viraat Ramayan Mandir. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  10. ↑ Justine Drennan & Phak Seangly (10 August 2012). "Plans for Indian 'Angkor' tweaked, National, Phnom Penh Post". The Phnom Penh Post. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  11. ↑ "India to build replica of Cambodia's Angkor Wat". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 25 October 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  12. ↑ "Model of world's". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 4 December 2013.
  13. ↑ Unknown, Unknown (17 January 2026). "World's largest Shivlinga installed at Virat Ramayan Mandir in East Champaran, Bihar". iNext. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  14. ↑ Unknown, Unknown (17 January 2026). "Virat Ramayan Mandir shivling installation in East Champaran, Bihar". Dainik Bhaskar. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  15. ↑ "Work on world's largest Hindu temple to begin by June-end". The Times of India. 18 May 2015. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  16. ↑ "Construction of Viraat Ramayan Mandir to begin from June 20". The Times of India. 29 May 2023.
  17. ↑ "'Donate a sq feet' scheme for Viraat Ramayan Mandir". The Times of India . 19 May 2013. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  18. ↑ "Trust committee members". Temple website. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
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