Teachings of Gita not limited to one religion: RSS chief in Kurukshetra
Addressing the gathering at Gita Gyan Sansthanam, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said the teachings of Gita are not limited to one religion
Haryana governor Bandaru Dattatreya, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) head Mohan Bhagwat jointly unveiled the ‘Virat Swaroop’ (universal form) of Lord Krishna at Jyotisar village in Kurukshetra to mark the beginning of the ‘Gupt Navratri’ on Thursday.
Addressing the gathering at Gita Gyan Sansthanam, Bhagwat said the teachings of Gita are not limited to one religion. “Gita is pervasive in all religions of the world. The relevance of the Gita is infinite,” he added.
He said there is an urgent need to adopt lessons of Gita in life as there is an imbalance in the human, humanity and creation. “Due to this imbalance, the universe is shaking and the peace is under threat. There is grudge, violence and bigotry as people are divided in the name of caste and religion,” he said, adding that the increasing incidents of violence are proof of this imbalance.
Speaking about the statue, Bhagwat said it will give a new identity to this Land of Gita.’
164 religious spots are being developed here: Khattar
Chief minister Khattar said after 2016, steps were taken to take Gita Jayanti to the international level. He said 164 religious spots are being developed in the Parikrama-radius of Kurukshetra. He said now, the government is contemplating celebrating Krishna Utsav and Kurukshetra, which is known as Land of Mahabharata, should also be known as Land of Gita and Land of Krishna.
He invited people from across the country to come to Kurukshetra to learn the teachings of Lord Krishna. He said ₹200 crore will be spent on the Krishna Circuit by the Union government, ₹75 crore of which has already been spent in the first phase. Efforts are being made to develop Kurukshetra as ‘Divya Kurukshetra’, he added.
About the project
The government had roped in sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar, who has also designed the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, for the project.
Weighing around 35 tonnes, the 40-ft-tall statue of Lord Krishna has been made from a mixture of four types of metals, including 85% copper and 15% other metals. In this vast structure, nine forms of Lord Krishna have been depicted. Built at a cost of around ₹10 crore, it is the first site of the Krishna Circuit project jointly developed by Kurukshetra Development Board and Haryana tourism department.
The statue will also be a part of a light and sound show and will boost religious tourism while giving a new identity to Kurukshetra and Jyotisar, authorities said. Located on Kurukshetra-Pehowa road, around 12km from Kurukshetra, Jyotisar village is a historical site where the battle of Mahabharata had started.
Also, a world-class ‘Jyotisar Anubhav Kendra’ is being set up at the site, which is likely to be ready by 2023 and will be divided into five buildings. In its first building, information about the events before the war of Mahabharata will be made available and in 18 mirrors installed in the next building, visitors will be able to see the events that happened in as many days of war.
