Shastralingam: Redefining the cultural landscape of Bihar

It was on the morning of 17th of this month and on Magh Krishna Chaturdarshi, an auspicious tithi as per the Hindu calendar, when the under construction Virat Ramayan Mandir at Kalyanpur block of East Champaran district was gearing up for a historic occasion.

As the sun started its journey for the day, thousands gathered near the premise to witness the historic moment. The premise was beautifully decorated with nearly 3000 kilograms of flowers including some brought from as far as Cambodia. The environment inside the temple complex was joyous with scholars from Ayodhya, Varanasi and Haridwar also in the attendance. This was the historic occasion of the installation of world largest Shivling also called the Sahastralingam, which was to be installed at a base inside the Virat Ramayan Mandir premise being built at Janki Nagar locality of Kathwalia village in East Champaran.

The giant Shivling made of a single block of granite and weighing approximately 210 metric tonnes which reached Bihar in the first week of January, was lifted with the help of two cranes, each with a capacity of not less than 700 tonnes and carefully lowered towards a base at the complex amidst chants of Vedic Mantra. As the 33-feet tall Sahastralingam settled on to the base, thousands awaiting the historic moment raised their hands in devotion with chants of Har Har Mahadev resonating through the air. It was a rare sight for the devotees, many of whom had arrived from separate localities to witness the historic installation. The crowd was even more thrilled when a helicopter crossed by, showering flower petals on the recently installed Shivling.

The Journey Of Sahastralingam

The Sahastralingam, which is the largest ever crafted out of a single block of monolithic granite was given shape at Paddikutu village near Mahabalipuram of Tamil Nadu by a group of skilled artisans, overseen by famous sculptor Hemlata Devi and her son Vinayak Venkat Raman with a reported cost of Rs 3 crore.

The crafting work lasted for nearly 10 years, after which the Shivling was brought up to Bihar in a specially designed 96-wheeler trailer. The journey of the world’s largest Shivling commenced on November 21, 2025 and traversed through the states of Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh before finally entering Bihar at Gopalganj district on January 5, where a special ceremony was held to mark its arrival. As the Shivling heads towards Kesariya, men and women were seen queuing up and singing hymns dedicated to Bhagwan Shiv in the local Bhojpuri dialect. The Sahastralingam eventually reached Kathwalia, marking completion of a month and a fortnight-long journey, exceeding over 2400 kilometres.The rituals related to the installation ceremony was performed by secretary of Mahavir Mandir Trust, Patna, Sayan Kunal and MP Shambhavi Choudhary. Earlier, sacred water from distant locations including Gangotri, Kailash Mansarovar, Haridwar, Prayagraj and Sonepur was brought up for the ritual ceremony which was also attended by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputies Vijay Kumar Sinha and Samrat Choudhary.

“It feels very good, and I am remembering my father, because he had initiated this construction ten years ago. Today after 10 years, the installation has taken place. Completing this unfinished work gives a sense of pride and we extended our best wishes to the people of Bihar. It is remarkable that the world’s largest Shivlingam is now in Bihar,” said Kunal.

He added, that a religious tourism circuit is being developed across Bihar including key destination such as in Sitamarhi and now Kathwalia which will attract visitors from outside the state and give a boost to the tourism sector and contribute to the overall development of the state.

Vision Behind the Virat Mandir

Significantly, the foundation stone for the Virat Ramayan Mandir was laid by Sayan Kunal’s father Acharya Kunal Kishore, the then secretary of the Mahavir Mandir Trust, Patna in June 2023. Kishore, a 1972-batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre played a pivotal role in founding multiple welfare medical institutions, including the Mahavir cancer Sansthan and had served as the Vice Chancellor of the KSD Sanskrit University and head of the state religious trust board. The construction of the Virat Ramayan Mandir was a dream project for Acharya Kunal Kishore, who was posthumously awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth largest civilian award for his exceptional contribution to social service in 2025.

Kishore himself had selected the monolithic granite block for crafting of the Shivling and also had launched a donation drive for people to contribute to the temple construction in the year 2013, an initiative which enabled the locals to be a part of the noble work. Around 200 workers have been involved in the ongoing construction work at the site since the ground breaking ceremony, with experts and engineers overseeing the work. The structure is being erected in a way which could resist major earthquakes, as the region fall in a high-risk zone. The proposed temple is set to have a 270-feet centre spire with four other spires each with an elevation of 180 feet. The complex in totality will have 18 spires and would encompass 22 temples, dedicated to various deities. The temple will be nearly 1080 feet in length and approximately 540 feet wide and is well connected to the Ram Janki Marg which stretches from Ayodhya to Punauradham, the birth place of Maa Janki in Sitamarhi of Bihar, where another grand temple is coming up. The cost involved in the construction of the Virat Ramayan Mandir project is being bored by the Mahavir Mandir Trust. With the piling work of the sanctum sanctorum completed, the grand temple project is expected to be completed by 2030 and will be the largest Hindu temple in the world upon its completion.

As the state and the Union Government working extensively towards restoring the glorious heritage of Bihar through rejuvenation of universities like Nalanda and Vikramshila, the upcoming grand temple in Kathwalia is expected to give fillip to religious tourism in the state.