North America’s Tallest Lord Ram Idol Unveiled
Massive 51-foot Ram statue inaugurated in Canada.
On Sunday, thousands of devotees, alongside Canadian federal ministers and opposition leaders, gathered at the Hindu Heritage Center in Mississauga, Greater Toronto Area, to unveil North America’s tallest idol of Lord Ram. The 51-foot fibreglass statue, mounted on a seven-foot pedestal, was inaugurated with a shower of flower petals, marking the culmination of a four-year project funded by Indo-Canadian philanthropist Laj Prasher.
The ceremony saw prominent attendees, including Minister of Women and Gender Equality Rechie Valdez, Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali, and International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, who greeted the crowd with “Jai Shri Ram” and hailed the statue as a proud milestone. Interim Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer, alongside MPs, provincial ministers, and India’s Acting Consul General Kapidhwaja Pratap Singh, also joined the celebration.
Crafted in Delhi with a steel superstructure, the idol is designed to withstand winds up to 200 km/hr and last a century. Acharya Surinder Sharma Shastri, the center’s founder, said the statue draws inspiration from the Ram Janmabhoomi temple inauguration in Ayodhya in January 2024. “This murti is a spiritual gift, reminding us to follow the path of righteousness,” he stated. Local Canadian craftsmen assembled the statue, with plans for a future chattri (umbrella) addition pending permits.
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Kushagr Sharma, the event’s principal organizer, described the gathering of over 10,000 people as a “remarkable” display of devotion and cultural unity. He noted that the statue, visible to flights descending into Toronto Pearson International Airport, will soon greet visitors as a towering symbol of faith. “This is a proud moment for Canadians who cherish cultural harmony and spiritual heritage,” Sharma added.
