The construction of a 108-foot-tall Shiddheshwar Mahadev statue has been completed in Paudi, Lamjung. The statue, part of efforts by the Shivaji Mahadev Temple Conservation Committee to create a tourism and religious site near the Marshyangdi River, was constructed using materials brought from Kali Gandaki and Kathmandu.
According to Vice-Chairperson Chandraprasad Pokharel, the area now includes statues of Lord Ganesh, Vishnu, and a stone ‘Basaha’ along with the Mahadev statue. He disclosed that the project cost approximately NPR 25 million, funded through various channels.
The statue is adorned with vibrant colors, and the surrounding area has seen the construction of 108 Shiva Lingas and 108 water spouts. Pokharel highlighted the completion of a pipeline project spanning approximately two kilometers from Mohoriya Kot in Rainaskot Rural Municipality-9, which will supply over 100,000 liters of water to a newly built water tank near the statue site.
The committee has also initiated a land acquisition process for an eighteen-ropani plot in the name of the project, which will include inscriptions of donor names and ancestors. They aim to complete the remaining work by the month of Ashoj and plan to inaugurate the site at an upcoming major festival.
Moreover, Pokharel mentioned that they have collected over NPR 14 million in donations for the installation of the Mahadev statue. The Paudi area, situated near the Dumre-Besisahar road and on the border of Lamjung and Tanahun districts, is poised to become not only a religious hub but also a bustling commercial and business center along the Mid-Hill Highway, a source of national pride.
The construction of the Mahadev statue, along with 108 water spouts and Shiva Lingams, signifies development not just in religious terms but also as a potential tourist destination, remarked Krishna Prasad Koirala, Mayor of Sundarbazar Municipality.
