GUYANA, February 13, 2025 (WIC News): A 50-foot statue of Lord Shiva was inaugurated on Wednesday at the Badrinaath Ashram in Guyana. This statue is the largest of its kind in South America, marking a significant development for Hindu community residing in Guyana. The statue has been installed by Badrinath Ashram, and it was handcrafted in India and assembled by the founders of Triveni Mandir in Guyana. The inauguration ceremony took place just in time for Maha Shivratri which will be observed on Wednesday, February 26, 2025. The ceremony began with all attendees singing the National Anthem of India, showing their respect for this significant milestone. According to the information, the grand inauguration ceremony was attended by several officials including President Dr. Irfaan Ali, Prime Minister Mark Phillips, Minister of Local Government Sonia Parag among other officials.

During the ceremony, President Ali said that the inauguration of the largest Lord Shiva Murti in South America at the Badrinaath Ashram in Spring Garden on the Essequibo Coast represents a new page in the history of Guyana and Hinduism in the country. He also emphasized that investments of this nature are important to reinforce the sense of community, belonging, selflessness, faith, and conscientiousness, which are all important tenets of Hinduism. According to the President, his government is working on ways to support the development of pandits, pastors, and imams from across the country, and emphasized that faith and spirituality are essential pillars of a grounded nation. Hindus are a significant minority group in Guyana, making up around 31% of the population as of 2020. This makes the country having the highest percentage of Hindus in the Western Hemisphere. The thriving community are descendants of indentured laborers from India who were transported to European colonies during the British Raj during the early 19th century. Because of this huge percentage of population being Hindus, the locals and the government officials celebrate with them their local festivals including Diwali and Maha Shivratri with huge grandeur and cultural fervour.

https://wicnews.com/guyana/guyana-inaugurates-south-americas-largest-lord-shiva-statue-at-badrinaath-ashram

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