News Report
MAURITIUS, September 13, 2007: Volunteers helped by a team of craftsmen from India have constructed a 108-foot statue of Drishti Ganesha in this small village of Grand Bois in the south of Mauritius. The work, which has been supervised by Biswas Beeharry, has taken about a month to complete. It has been made from plaster of Paris coated over a metal frame. The initiative of building the statue came from the Om Gurukul whose spiritual head is Swami Murali Dharan. The swami has organized daily prayers in the village since September 7. The prayers will end of September 16. The Visarjana, or ritual immersion in the ocean will be held on September 23 at Pointe-au-Roches, a distance of some 12 miles. A huge procession will leave Grand Bois at 1330 and proceed through several villages before reaching Point aux Roches. The construction of a statue of that height constitutes a first not only for Mauritius but for the whole world.
(HPI note: For those wondering how you transport a 108-foot statue down a road without disconnection all the overhead wires — Mauritius long ago buried all its wires underground due to the high incidence of hurricanes.)