25-feet Hanuman idol installed in US temple at Delaware

idol_1 H x W:

Delaware (USA), June 18: Hockessin, a city in New Castle County, Delaware, has become the home to the tallest idol of Lord Hanuman in the United States. On Monday, the city installed a 25-feet-tall statue of Lord Hanuman in its biggest Hindu temple.

“It weighs around 45 tonnes,” said Patibanda Sharma, President, Hindu Temple of Delaware Association. “It has been shipped from Warangal, Telangana to Delaware,” he added.

According to the ANI report, more than 12 artisans worked full-time in Warangal for over a year to make this statue. And, the statue was carved out from a single block of black granite.

In January, the statue was transported from Hyderabad to New York by sea, then by road to Delaware. A priest, who is from Bengaluru, performed all the rituals, including purification and installation of the deity. The association, with the help of more than 300 families and devotees from the city, had organized a 10-day installation ritual. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, there were not many gatherings for ceremonies.

After the 34-feet statue of Lady Queen of Peace in Holy Spirit Church, New Castle, the Hanuman installation is the tallest religious statue in Delaware. According to media reports, the statue costs around $100,000, including construction and transportation. The sculpture, carved from a single block of granite, weighs more than 30,000 kg and is 25 feet tall.

More than 300 Hindu families who donned orange T-shirts that read, ‘The Hanuman Project’ participated in the installation ceremony. Reportedly, a priest from Bengaluru named Nagraj Bhattar performed a purification of the idol with rice, water, and flowers.

This was followed by puja for divine intervention, amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. Senator Chris Coons, New Castle County executive Matt Myer, and Lt. Governor (Delaware) Bethany Hall-Long was present during the unveiling of the statue and sought blessings at the temple.

idol_1 H x W:

10 day-ritual for idol purification: “Once the statue is made according to a prescribed process by an artisan and is delivered to the temple, the temple priests normally conduct a 10-day, or 5 to 10-day rituals, mostly involving fire offerings and other rituals. And also, the community is invited to bond with the statue,” the president of Hindu Temple Association, Patibanda Sharma, was quoted as saying. He added that two Hindu rituals namely, ‘Yantra Pratishtha’ and ‘Prana Prathista’ will be performed for the correct installation of the idol.

Sharma also thanked non-Hindus who helped in erecting the mammoth statue of Shri Hanuman. He said, “It is a big tribute to all the people who handled the idol, we have been very fortunate, I must say whenever we have any contract, whether it is crane operators to lift or concrete operators to install. I am not exaggerating, they take more than more care than we do ourselves… very careful about handling the statue, and being respectful, that’s more important.”

idol_1 H x W:

No mass gatherings: Owing to the Coronavirus pandemic, special arrangements have been made to avoid large gatherings. Devotees would be allowed in batches to offer their prayers and the idol would be made open to people of all Faiths in the upcoming days. Visitors need to sign up on the temple’s website to book their preferred time slots.

The temple was established in 1996 and is frequented by thousands of practitioners of the Hindu Faith. The temple reportedly provides spiritual, wedding and catering services with the help of a network of volunteers. The statue of Shri Hanuman represents strength and victory over evil.