Abhishek Bachchan unveils 108-ft Hanuman idol

Shimla, Nov 4 (IANS) Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal here Thursday unveiled a 108-foot-high statue of Hindu god Hanuman at an altitude of 8,500 feet.

Weighing 1,500 tonnes, the statue -- one of the tallest in the world -- is situated at Jakhu Mandir in Shimla. The daunting task was undertaken by JHS Nanda Trust, the philanthropic wing set up by oral health care manufacturers JHS Svendgaard Laboratories Ltd. The statue has sensors that keep birds away.

'After unveiling the statue, I recalled the time spent with my grandmother who was a huge devotee of Lord Hanuman. She used to tell us stories about his adventures,' Abhishek said, after unveiling the statue.

'Jakhu temple is a very strong temple. There is a lot of power in here. When Nikhil (JHS managing director) approached me to be part of it, I readily agreed as I felt this was a call from god himself. It's fantastic that a statue so tall has been erected in India. It is an achievement that will make the people of India proud,' he added.

Wearing a brown kurta and white pyjamas, the actor was accompanied by sister Shweta Nanda and veteran actor Parikshit Sahani. He had even kept a fast until the statue was unveiled.

Nikhil Nanda, managing director of JHS, said: 'All my family members are huge devotees of Lord Hanuman. We laid the foundation of the statue two years back. And today it gives me immense pride to unveil it.'

The idol was built at a cost of Rs.1.5 crore.

'The working conditions were very tough as we had to work through extreme cold. The monkeys also created a lot of problems. We thought that we wouldn't be able to complete even in five years but we are happy that we could complete it in two years,' chief architect Naresh Kumar told IANS.

Delhi fusion band Inspire performed at the function.

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