When Hanumanji stalled traffic for hours near Bengaluru
People stop their cars in front of temples to pay their respects, but what Hanumanji did near Bengaluru triumphs it all. A 62-feet, 750-tonne, half-done Hanuman statue caused massive traffic jams on Old Madras Road, after the 300-wheel vehicle carrying it was stopped by police on Monday near Hoskote, 35km from Bengaluru. Reason? Potential violation of poll code, keeping in mind Karnataka's May elections.
300-wheel vehicle released after Election Commission intervened
The statue was being carried from Kolar to Kacharakanahalli, and had to wait for 15 hours before the EC intervened and gave them a green signal to move ahead. Officials said that Sri Rama Chaithanya Vardhini Trust, organization behind the project, was given permission to transport the statue. However, BBMP had asked them to restore any damage done to the roads during transportation.
Monolith from which statue getting carved weighs 1450 tonnes
The trust claimed that when the statue gets finished next year, it will be taller than the 57-feet Gomateshwara statue in Hassan district and thus the biggest in the world. The 1450-tonne monolith on which the statue is being carved was found in Byrapura, south Karnataka, after a 3-month search. The monolith had to be lifted 4 feet from the ground to enable sculpting.
'30 sculptors working on statue to be ready by Ram-Navami'
"About 30 sculptors from Shivarapatna, renowned for its traditional sculpture, were asked to downsize the monolith to a 750-tonne statue. At Kacharakanahalli, they will be joined by other world-class sculptors to complete it. The statue will be installed by Rama Navami," said Muniraju, a trustee.
