The Giant statues of Hindu God Hanuman across India

Navrang India November 12, 2018

God Hanuman who  plays a crucial role in the great epic of Hinduism the Ramayana, is an ardent devotee of Sri Rama and his consort Sita. Known for his valor, wisdom and devotion to duty, no doubt, he is being worshipped across India by devotees with deep devotion. In almost all towns and cities of India there are shrines exclusively dedicated to Sri Hanuman and invariably most of them have a a small idol installed in the garbagriha. Thee are shrines that have medium size Hanuman idol measuring up to 10 to 15 feet in height.  Across India only a handful of places have gigantic statue of Sri Hanuman whose height is more than 90 feet, in variably made of stone. Such huge statues of Sri Hanuman attract the attention of devotees who visit such shrines to take his blessings to give them strength and mental prowess to face unsolved problems and mental agony in their lives. Such huge idols of Sri Hanuman, besides being awe-inspiring,  is also a source of solace and tranquillity for countless devotees. He also goes by the name of monkey god. 

 Since Sri Hanuman is a celibate God, his idol is normally not worshipped at Hindu homes. Devotees make tulasi mala, butter as offerings to him at his temples. To have their wish fulfilled or upon fulfilment of their wish, devotees offer Vada Mala (garland)  consisting of 101 or 1001 small vadas  and so on. The vadas are made by temple priests upon prior request and payment of cost of making the Prasadam. In Tamil Nadu at certain Anjanaya temples, it has been a tradition among  college students, in particular, to make vada mala offering as a way of expressing their gratitude to Sri Hanuman for their success in  tough exams. Here, the driving force is trust and positive approach, further strengthened by Bhakti. 

Tallest statue under construction, Srikakulam Distt. hanumanyagya.org
Among the tall Hanuman statues of India, the tallest one under under construction is  at Madapam near Narasannapeta in Srikakulam District in Andhra Pradesh and the height is whooping 176 feet. I believe the construction is not yet over. 
Veera Abhaya Anjaneya Hanuman, Vijayawada. .hindufaqs.com

Above image: The statue of  Veera Abhaya Anjaneya Hanuman Swami is the second largest and tallest one in india. Situated near Vijayawada (about 30 km from the city) in a small village Paritala, Andhra Pradesh  and  close to NH-9, the statue is 135 feet (41 metres) tall; it is taller than Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (38 m, including 8 m pedestal). It attracts  devotees in thousands. 
Hanuman statue, Jakhu hills. megaconstrucciones.net
Hanuman statue, Jakhu Hills, Shimla  hindufaqs.com
Above image: The third tallest Hanuman statue is on the outskirts at Jakhu Hills in Shimla, once the  erstwhile summer capital of the British Raj, Himachal Pradesh. Red in color, its height is around 108 feet on the hill whose altitude is over 8000 feet above MSL. It  was unveiled in 2010, overlooking the entire city and constructed at a cost of Rs 1.5 crores; the Hanuman temple here is an ancient one.
Shri Sankat Mochan Hanuman statue, Delhi.  hindufaqs.com

Above image: On New Link road, Karol Bagh, Delhi is a giant statue of Sri Hanuman and is 108 feet tall. Named Shri Sankat Mochan Hanuman statue, it  is one of the major public attractions in Delhi and the statue is an engineering marvel; the hands of the statue move, making the devotees feel that the Lord is tearing his chest to show the two  small idols of Lord Rama and his consort  Sita inside the chest, symbolic of his devotion to them.  It is the fourth  highest Hanuman statue in the world founded by Brahamleen Nagababa Shri Sevagir Ji Maharaj (25 Jan, 2008) near Jhandewalan metro station. Also close to the main premises is a temple (Mandir) dedicated to Siddha Shri Shani Dev.
idol Hanuman Murti at Nandura in Maharashtrahindufaqs.com

Above image: The fifth tallest idol Hanuman Murti is at Nandura in Maharashtra. Its height is 105 feet and this idol, which  is the major attraction on NH6,  is mostly  built with white marble, but other colors are used  at right places .


Tit-bits:
01. The other tall statues of Hanuman above 75 feet are 104 feet  tall Hanuman idol of Dham Shahjahanpur, UP and  80 feet tall statue of Hanuman of the Ram Tirath temple at Amritsar in Punjab.

02. The name, ‘Hanuman’ actually in Sanskrit means ‘disfigured jaw'. Hanuman who enjoyed serving Lord Rama is believed to have  applied sindoor all over his body for Lord Rama’s long life.

03. Pawanputra Hanuman is said to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva and is considered to be an embodiment of of strength, devotion, and perseverance. He is seranjeevi - ever living and is fond of meditating upon lord Rama.

04. In the Kurushetra war in the Mahabharata, Arujuna's chariot was adorned with the flag displaying the image of Sri. Hanuman.
Flag with Hanuman's image in Arjuna's chariot. pinterest.com
The flag was symbolic of Arjuna's victory in the crucial war fought between Pandavas and Kauravas; Arjuna, being one of the five Pandava brothers who never deviated from the path of righteousness.