The revolution of transforming the contemporary socio-cultural landscape of India with sky-penetrating statues seems to have spread to America. After housing the temple with the tallest gopuram (87-feet) in North Carolina and the world’s second largest Hindu temple in New Jersey, America unveiled the tallest standing statue of Lord Hanuman on 18 August following a three-day prana pratishtha ceremony in the south coast. Remarkably, the 90-feet tall Hanuman sculpture is the third tallest statue in the United States, next to the Statue of Liberty in New York, and the Pegasus & Dragon in Florida.
Named the Statue of Union, the Hanuman sculpture has been inaugurated at Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple in Sugar Land, Texas. It is the tallest Hanuman statue not only in USA but in North America. Made of panchdhatu, the statue stands tall on a massive pedestal designed like a lotus and supported by elephant sculptures. The statue has been shaped in the posture of blessing devotees with both hands, unlike traditional statues of Lord Hanuman holding his principal weapon in one hand.
The 90-feet tall Hanuman statue in Texas is named ‘Statue of Union’ in a tribute to Lord Hanuman who was instrumental in finding the whereabouts of Devi Sita and helping Sri Rama rescue her from Ravana. The reunion of Sri Rama and Devi Sita would not have been possible without Hanuman. Precisely, he is highly regarded as an eternal emblem of devotion, strength, commitment, and selfless service. The statue took one year to be built after the foundation was laid in May 2023.
With the Hanuman Statue of Union, Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple near Houston, has become a spiritual epicenter for Indian immigrants and Americans of Indian descent, amid the decline of social values, the erosion of human ethos, and the rise of conflicts across geographies. It is a must see for visiting Indians in the USA. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi and her eight divine forms.
The newly inaugurated Statue of Union in Texas took the distinction of being the tallest Hanuman statue in USA from the one at the Hindu Temple of Delaware. It broke the record of the 45-tonne heavy and 25-feet tall Hanuman statue which was installed at the Hindu Temple of Hockessin, Delaware, in 2020. The life-size statue was constructed in Telangana and transported from Hyderabad to New York by sea for $100,000. Currently, the 50-feet tall Mangal Murti Hanuman idol in Ontario, Canada is the second tallest statue of Lord Hanuman in North America.
Brought to you by Indian Eagle, the leading travel-booking partner of Indians in USA, this article is part of our continued series on new attractions in America for the Indian Diaspora. Travel Beats, a subsidiary of Indian Eagle, is a one-stop portal for US-India travel news, US visa & immigration updates, community stories, and Indian events in USA.
