Vishnudham Mandir

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Vishnudham
विष्णुधाम
Religion
Affiliation Hinduism
District Sheikhpura District
Deity Vishnu
FestivalSamas Vishnudham Mahotsav
Governing bodyBihar state board of religious trust
Location
LocationSamas, Barbigha
State Bihar
CountryFlag of India.svg India
India Bihar location map.svg
Om symbol.svg
Location in Bihar, India
Geographic coordinates 25°10′36.38″N85°42′52.51″E / 25.1767722°N 85.7145861°E / 25.1767722; 85.7145861
Website
https://bsbreligioustrust.bihar.gov.in/detail/Sheikhpura/5

Vishnudham is a significant Hindu temple located in Samas, Bihar, [1] notable for housing the second largest idol of Lord Vishnu in the world, reportedly surpassed only by the idol of Lord Venkatesh at Tirupati. The temple is situated in the Barbigha block of Sheikhpura district. The idol was discovered in 1992 in a pond adjacent to the temple site, where it had been buried for centuries. [2] The temple was constructed in the South Indian architectural style by local villagers and authorities at the site where the statue was discovered.

Contents

History

The idol of Lord Vishnu, which had remained concealed beneath the soil for an extended period, was unearthed on July 5, 1992, during the month of Ashadha, specifically on Shukla Panchami Sunday. Prior to its discovery, the idol was revered as the village deity known as 'Silbaba,' with only its aura visible to the villagers. [3] The unearthing of the idol attracted a large gathering of devotees, leading to the organization of a grand fair that lasted for three months. Following the discovery, the idol was installed with the assistance of local villagers, and formal worship commenced. Concurrently, the construction of the temple began, with visits from administrative officials for site inspections. [4] [2]

Temple

The temple was subsequently placed under the jurisdiction of the Bihar State Board of Religious Trusts, similar to other prominent temples in the state. In 2007, the board urged the Bihar government to construct a temple inspired by the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh. [1] The then Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, pledged in 2009 to develop the temple as a tourist destination. However, the execution of this plan was realized only recently, in February 2025, with an allocation of ₹14.99 crores. [5] [6] Currently, the idol is worshipped in a partially constructed temple by devotees. [7]

Idols

The idol of Lord Vishnu, which is the largest representation in the sthanakmudra posture [8] in North India, is crafted from black granite and measures 7.5 feet in height and 3.5 feet in width. This idol is believed to date back to the Gupta period, though some suggest it may belong to the Pala period. It has four arms, each holding a shankha, chakra, gada, and lotus. Beneath the left and right arms of the idol are two figures, one masculine and one feminine. [1] An inscription on the pedestal of the idol, written in ancient Devanagari script, reads 'ऊं उत्‍कीर्ण सूत्रधारसितदेव:'. This script exhibits evolutionary characteristics, with the shapes of the letters 'अ', 'इ', and 'ई' having developed from their earlier forms in Brahmi script. Scholars suggest that this style of script emerged in North India after the ninth century, with the Pratihara king Mahendrapala (891-907 AD) utilizing a similar script in the Dighwa-Duli donation inscription, which also references the sculptor Sitadeva. [9] [10]

Along with it many other smaller idols were discovered which lies outside the garbhagriha in negligence. Many idols were also found in nearby areas many of which are kept in Jagadambaa temple. [11] [12] It is also reported that a lakshmi idol was found in the 60s in the same area but it was stolen. [13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Chaudhary, Pranava K. (10 October 2007). "2nd largest Vishnu idol in Bihar". The Times of India . Patna. Archived from the original on 20 January 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Sri Vishnu Dham, Barbigha, Sheikhpura". Sheikhpura, Bihar. Archived from the original on 13 October 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  3. ↑ "ऐतिहासिक विष्णु धाम सामस 5 दिवसीय महोत्सव शुरू: भगवान विष्णु की प्रतिमा की पूजा अर्चना भी की, जानें पूरा कार्यक्रम" [The historic Vishnu Dham Samas 5-day festival has begun: Worship and rituals have also been performed for the idol of Lord Vishnu. Learn about the complete program]. Dainik Bhaskar (in Hindi). 2023-11-23. Archived from the original on 2023-12-04. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  4. ↑ "ऐतिहासिक महत्‍व" [Historical Significance]. Vishnu Dham (in Hindi). 2011-12-04. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  5. ↑ "15 करोड़ से होगा सामस विष्णुधाम मंदिर का विकास" [The development of the Samas Vishnudham Temple will be done with 15 crores]. Live Hindustan. Archived from the original on 21 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  6. ↑ "शेखपुरा का मटोखर दह,सामस विष्णु धाम का होगा विकास" [The development of Samas Vishnudham and Matokhar Dah will take place in Sheikhpura]. Prabhat Khabar (in Hindi). 2025-02-26. Archived from the original on 21 March 2025. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  7. ↑ "विष्णु धाम को पर्यटन स्थल के तौर पर किया जाएगा विकसित, महोत्सव के उद्घाटन कार्यक्रम के दौरान मंत्री ने दिया आश्वासन" [Vishnu Dham will be developed as a tourist destination, assured the minister during the inauguration program of the festival.]. ETV Bharat News (in Hindi). Sheikhpura. 2023-11-24. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  8. ↑ Tewari, Dr. Rakesh; Dimri, Dr. D.N., eds. (2016). INDIAN ARCHAEOLOGY 2013-14 – A REVIEW (PDF). New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India. p. 22. A large image of Vishnu in Sthanakmudra is kept in a temple nearby the tank.
  9. ↑ "Vishnu Dham". Vishnu Dham (in Hindi). 5 December 2011. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  10. ↑ "सामस विष्णुधाम महोत्सव में उमड़ी श्रद्धालुओं की भीड़" [A crowd of devotees gathered at the Samas Vishnudham festival]. Hindustan (in Hindi). 12 November 2024. Archived from the original on 13 November 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  11. ↑ "1100 साल पुरानी विष्णु प्रतिमा पर क्या लिखा है, पढ़ना है मुश्किल" [What is written on the 1100-year-old Vishnu idol is difficult to read]. Zee News Hindi (in Hindi). Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  12. ↑ "क्या आप जानते हैं 1100 साल पुरानी हैं सामस विष्णुधाम की मूर्ति.. पढ़िए" [Do you know that the idol of Samas Vishnudham is 1100 years old? Read on]. Nalanda Live (in Hindi). 2019-02-22. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  13. ↑ "आज से शुरू हो रहा पांच दिवसीय सामस विष्णु धाम महोत्सव, डीएम करेंगी उद्घाटन" [The five-day Samas Vishnudham festival is starting today, and the DM (District Magistrate) will inaugurate it]. Dainik Bhaskar. 22 November 2023. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
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