INDIA, January 18, 2026 (Indian Express): As the sun rose over the sprawling grounds of the Virat Ramayan Mandir in East Champaran district’s Motihari Saturday, workers and engineers prepared for a long-awaited moment. Two cranes, each with a capacity of around 750 tons, carefully lifted a colossal black-granite monolith weighing about 231 tons and inched it towards a nearby pedestal. Guided by engineers, the 33-foot structure was lowered inch by inch onto a base nearly twice its height. As the Shivling settled into place, the grounds reverberated with chants of “Har Har Mahadev.” Moments later, a helicopter showered flower petals on the newly installed symbol of Lord Shiva, drawing cheers from thousands of onlookers.

The placement of the Sahasralingam—described as the world’s largest Shivling—in Motihari took place at the under-construction temple complex in Kathwalia village of Kalyanpur block on Magh Krishna Chaturdashi, an auspicious date in the Hindu calendar, amid Vedic chants. Carved from a single piece of black granite, the monolith was crafted over nearly a decade in Pattikadu village near Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu by artisans overseen by Vinayak Venkatraman and his mother Hemlata Devi. With a 33-foot circumference, it bears 1,008 smaller lingams on its surface, reportedly cost around US$327,500 to produce, and has been designed for structural stability over centuries. Priests and Vedic scholars from centers including Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Haridwar conducted rituals that lasted several hours. Sacred water from Gangotri, Yamunotri, Prayagraj, Ganga Sagar and Sonpur was used for abhishek, and an 18-foot garland of marigolds, roses, belpatra and dhatura was specially prepared. The actual pran prathishta ceremony will take place at a later time.

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https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/patna/devotees-throng-bihars-motihari-as-worlds-largest-shivling-installed-at-virat-ramayan-mandir-10480135/

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