Panaji: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday unveiled a 77-foot-tall bronze statue of Lord Rama in Goa as part of the celebrations marking the 550th anniversary of the Shree Sansthan Gokarna Jivottam Math.
PM Modi also visited the monastery’s temple in Portugali, South Goa. The monastery is said to be one of India’s oldest monasteries, known for its spiritual, cultural, and social contributions. It holds a prominent place in the Saraswat community. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the ‘Ramayana Theme Park’ built by the monastery. He also released a special postal stamp and a commemorative coin.
Goa’s Public Works Department Minister, Digambar Kamat, stated that the statue was created by sculptor Ram Sutar, who designed the ‘Statue of Unity’ (Sardar Patel’s statue) in Gujarat. He added that this is the tallest statue of Lord Rama in the world.
Goa Governor Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant were also present on the occasion. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a road show after participating in the Lakh Kantha Geeta Parayan program at the Sri Krishna Matha in Udupi, Karnataka. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Suvarna Tirtha Mandapam in front of the Krishna temple and dedicated the Kanaka Kavach (gold cover) for the sacred Kanakna Kindi, believed to be the sacred window through which Saint Kanakadasa had a divine vision of Lord Krishna.
During his speech at the event, PM Modi praised the good governance model of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s predecessor, the Jana Sangh, in Udupi. He then recited verses from the Bhagavad Gita along with one lakh devotees at the Lakh Kantha Geeta Parayan program at the Sri Krishna Matha here.
