Kailashnath Mahadev Statue ( ne, कैलाशनाथ महादेव) is the second tallest
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
statue in the world.
It is currently the
fifth tallest Hindu deity statue.It is situated in Sanga,
Kavrepalanchok District
Kavrepalanchok District ( ne, काभ्रेपलाञ्चोक जिल्ला; ) is one of the 77 districts of Nepal. The district, with Dhulikhel as its district headquarters, covers an area of . It is a part of Bagmati Provinc ...
in
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
, about 20km from
Kathmandu
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.
The statue is 143 feet (43.5m) in height and was made using copper, zinc, concrete, and steel.
Design and construction
Designed to resemble images of the Hindu god,
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
, and seen as a marvel of Nepalese engineering, the statue's construction began in 2003 and was completed in 2011. It was constructed mainly by Kamal Jain and "Hilltake", a company established in Nepal in 1992 which deals with products such as water tanks. Nepalese engineers were involved in the design and construction of large structures.
The statue's foundation is about 100 feet deep, which was necessary to anchor the structure into the ridge. Due to the threat of potential landslides, structures were also built for ground stabilization.
Tourism
About 5,000 visitors come to the statue on a weekday, and a significantly larger number visit on weekends, national holidays, and Hindu festivals.
Due to the number of visitors the statue has contributed to religious tourism in Nepal, both locally and internationally, raised the economic activity of the local community, and has made an impact on the development of nearby villages.
References
{{Nepal topics
Shiva temples in Nepal
Nepalese culture
Hindu temples in Kathmandu District
Colossal statues
Tourist attractions in Nepal
Forms of Shiva
Sculptures of gods
Shiva in art
Buildings and structures in Bhaktapur District
2010 establishments in Nepal
Sanga-Major attraction near Kathmandu[https://asianheritagetreks.com/blogs/sanga-major-attraction-near-kathmandu]