Shivagiri is an statue of

Lord 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 ...

that has been installed by the T.K. Patil Banakatti Charitable Trust in the city of

Bijapur Bijapur, officially known as Vijayapura, is the district headquarters of Bijapur district of the Karnataka state of India. It is also the headquarters for Bijapur Taluk. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, India, on the

Sindagi Sindagi is a City and Taluk in Vijayapura district in the Indian state of Karnataka, about 60 km to the east of Bijapur. Geography Sindagi is located at . It has an average elevation of 500 metres (1640 feet). Sindagi is 60 k ...

Road. It is slowly becoming a pilgrimage location. The 1,500 tonnes statue of Lord Shiva is considered as the second largest statue of Lord Shiva in India and was prepared by sculptors from Shimoga for over 13 months. The civilian design was supplied by Bangalore-situated architects. The idol of Lord Shiva is made of cement and steel. A small

Shiva Linga A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional im ...

has been placed beneath the statue. Also, the "Shiva Charite" will be engraved on the inside walls of the Temple in the

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

language to help devotees learn the mythological stories related to Shiva. The Trust wants to make it a major pilgrimage centre. Shiva IMG 5051

Public interest has been anticipated by the Trust with the series of charity work relating to the statue. An old age home is proposed on the sprawling premises named Basant Van. One of the five brothers who make up the Trustees, Mr Patil, told

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

newspaper that initially it will accommodate 52 members and the capacity will be enhanced gradually. Women would be given preference in admission. Once this is stabilised, the Trust will establish a free boarding school for meritorious students from economically and socially deprived classes. Mr. Patil and his brothers plan to weigh their mother Tulasibayi with gold on 26 February . As she weighs , the gold is estimated to be Rs. 4.5 crores and this money will be deposited in a bank and interest from it will be used for the associated charity work.

References

Shivagiri - allaboutbijapur.in85-foot idol at Shivagiri attracts huge crowdPeople throng Shivagiri to celebrate Mahashivaratri - Times of India
{{Commons category, Shiva Monument Bijapur Bijapur, Karnataka Tourist attractions in Bijapur district