TN: 23-feet-tall idol of Nataraja installed in Kumbhakonam

A ceremony was held on Tuesday to perform the first abhishekam of the world's highest Nataraja statue. The idol weighs 15 tonnes and is 23 ft tall and 17 ft wide.

Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu): A 23-feet-tall idol of Hindu deity Nataraja, claimed to be the world's tallest, has been installed in single cast at the Konerirajapuram temple near Kumbhakonam in Tamil Nadu. The massive statue of Lord Shiva (Nataraja) -- the divine cosmic dancer -- weighs 15 tonnes, is 23 feet tall, and 17 feet wide. The artist behind this feat is Varadaraj, who runs a sculpture studio, 'Cast in France Creative', in Thimmakudy village near Swamimalai near Kumbakonam, and is in the same business for the last 25 years.

A ceremony was held on Tuesday to perform the first abhishekam of the Nataraja statue. The Telangana Governor and Puducherry Deputy Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundarrajan were the special chief guests at the event. Dr. Soundarrajan formally handed over the statue to the trustees of Lakshmi Narayani Peetham after the abhishekam.

On Tuesday, during Pradosha evening, Sivanadiyars performed special yagyas according to the Tamil style and played Nandi instruments, holding water bottles filled with holy water as a part of the ritual around the idol.

It took ten years to complete the work and several crores of rupees are claimed to have been spent on this statue. The 15-ton idol is a single cast with four arms and it is designed to have 102 lotus flowers, 52 lions, and 34 serpents.