JAI SHRI RAM ECHOES ACROSS KUSHAVATI AS BRONZE GIANT COMES ALIVE
This afternoon at exactly 3:17 p.m., Prime Minister Narendra Modi tugged the saffron curtain and the crowd lost its voice for a second – then erupted. A 77-foot bronze Lord Ram, bow in hand, eyes calm and far-seeing, now stands taller than the coconut trees on the banks of the Kushavati river.
WE ARE LIVING THE RENAISSANCE OUR ANCESTORS ONLY DREAMT OF” – PM MODI
Speaking without notes, Modi linked Ayodhya’s new temple flag-hoisting to today’s unveiling: “Days ago I was in Ayodhya. Today I am in Goa. Kashi, Kedarnath, Somnath, Mahakal Lok – the same current is flowing everywhere. India is not just constructing stone and metal. India is remembering who she truly is. This is our cultural renaissance.”
WORLD’S TALLEST LORD RAM STATUE NOW IN GOA, CLAIMS STATE GOVT
Crafted by Ram Sutar (the man behind Statue of Unity), the bronze giant took two years and ₹35 crore. Goa PWD minister Digambar Kamat declared on stage: “Mark my words – this is now the tallest standing statue of Lord Ram on planet Earth.”
FROM MORNING BHAJANS TO EVENING AARTI – 15,000 PACK THE MATH PREMISES
People started pouring in at 6 a.m. By noon the narrow village road was bumper-to-bumper with buses from Belagavi, Kolhapur and Hubli. Volunteers in yellow caps served lemon water and khichdi non-stop. One counter ran out of 8,000 paper plates by 2 p.m.
MODI TURNS DEVOTEE FIRST, PM LATER
Before the public event, the Prime Minister slipped into the 550-year-old temple, prayed in front of the original Ram-Lakshman-Sita idols, accepted prasad and even tied the traditional red thread on his wrist – just like any other pilgrim.
RAMAYANA THEME PARK THROWN OPEN – KIDS ALREADY POSING WITH TEN-HEADED RAVANA
Next to the statue, the new theme park has life-size scenes: golden deer, Pushpaka Vimana, the bridge to Lanka. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant promised: “Ten thousand visitors every day from tomorrow.
CONGRESS TAKES A DIG: “STATUES WON’T GIVE JOBS
While bhajans played in Partagali, Congress leaders in Panaji told reporters: “Youngsters want employment, not more bronze.” The remark barely travelled beyond the state capital.
NEVER THOUGHT I’D SEE RAM LALLA THIS BIG IN GOA” – LOCAL FISHERMAN
83-year-old Vishnu Naik, who has fished these waters since the Portuguese days. Standing with folded hands under the statue he said, “We saw Liberation in 1961. Today feels like another kind of freedom.
SUNSET TURNS BRONZE INTO FIRE
As Modi’s helicopter lifted off, the statue caught the last rays – first golden, then blazing orange, finally a deep silhouette against the Goa sky. The bhajan groups refused to stop. Drums rolled into the night. Lord Ram has come home to the Konkan coast – and from the looks of it, he’s here to stay.
