India / PM Modi unveils 12-foot-tall statue of Adi Guru Shankaracharya weighing 35,000-kg

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Kedarnath in Uttarakhand on Friday, where he is scheduled to inaugurate the rebuilt samadhi sthal of Shri Adi Shankaracharya and also lay the foundation stone of reconstruction projects. PM Modi will also unveil a magnificent 12-feet statue of Guru Shankaracharya, the 8th-century seer who attained Moksha at Kedarnath.

The statue weighs 35 tonnes and it has been made by Mysore-based sculptors from chlorite schist, a rock that is known to withstand rain, sunshine and harsh climate, according to officials. The original statue of Adi Guru Shankaracharya samadhi was washed away in the 2013 floods. It has been built by excavating land just behind the Kedarnath temple and in the middle of the samadhi area.

The unveiling of the statue will be streamed live at the 12 jyotirlingas, four Shankaracharya mutts (monasteries), his birthplace and several prominent temples across the country.

"We will all welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi will reach here in the morning. He will do the Maha Rudra Abhishek and pray for the welfare of the nation. He will also unveil the statue of Adi Shankaracharya,” Bagish Ling, a priest of Kedarnath Temple, told news agency ANI.

After the unveiling of the statue, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of Kedarpuri reconstruction projects worth over ₹400 crore. He will also inaugurate other key infrastructure projects including Saraswati Retaining Wall Aasthapath and Ghats, Mandakini Retaining Wall Aasthapath, Tirth Purohit Houses and Garud Chatti bridge on the Mandakini river.

The Kedarpuri construction project is reportedly PM Modi's one of dream projects. Over time, he has been personally reviewing the construction work at regular intervals.

Earlier, Uttarakhand tourism minister Satpal Maharaj said reconstruction works in Kedarnath would not have been possible without the vision of PM Modi. "We welcome his presence here soon. He will also be inaugurating the second phase works at Kedarnath," he said.

Tourism secretary Dilip Jawalkar has also thanked the Prime Minister for his generous efforts towards rebuilding the samadhi of Shankaracharya. “The samadhi of Shankaracharya was destroyed in the 2013 flash flood that hit the Kedarnath area. I would like to thank PM Narendra Modi and Jindal Steel Works for their generous efforts towards rebuilding the monument," Jawalkar said.