The ''Adiyogi'' Shiva bust is a , and steel bust of

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

with Thirunamam at

Coimbatore Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, ), also known as Kovai (), is one of the major Metropolitan cities of India, metropolitan cities in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyy ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. It is recognized by the ''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

'' as the "Largest Bust Sculpture” in the world.'Aadiyogi bust' declared world's largest by Guinness Book of World
,

Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...

, 12 May 2017.Vincenzo Berghella
Chennai and Coimbatore, India
, Page 68. Designed by Sadhguru, the founder and head of the Isha Foundation, the statue weighs around . ''Adiyogi'' refers to Shiva as the first yogi. It was established to inspire people towards inner well-being through

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

Description

''Adiyogi'' is located at the Isha Yoga Centre. Its height, 112 ft, symbolizes the 112 possibilities to attain to ''

moksha ''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, '' nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologic ...

'' (liberation) that are mentioned in yogic culture, and also the 112 chakras in the human system. A

linga A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Upanishads and epic literature, wher ...

named ''Yogeshwar Linga'' was consecrated and placed in front of the statue. The Indian Ministry of Tourism has included the statue in its official Incredible India tourism campaign. It is also the venue of a light and sound show about

as a yogi, inaugurated by the

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

, Ram Nath Kovind.

Inauguration

''Adiyogi'' was inaugurated on 24 February 2017 by the

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

, on the occasion of

Maha Shivaratri Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually to worship the deity Shiva, between February and March. According to the Hindu calendar, the festival is observed on the fourteenth day of the first half (night start with darkness - ...

. He also launched a companion book, ''Adiyogi: The Source of Yoga'', written by Sadhguru. To mark the unveiling of the statue, the song "Adiyogi – The Source of Yoga" was released by the Isha Foundation, sung by Kailash Kher, with lyrics by Prasoon Joshi. Another statue of Adiyogi was unveiled in

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, US in 2015 by the Isha Foundation, as part of a yoga studio.

Adiyogi Divya Darshanam

Adiyogi Divya Darshanam is 3D laser show, narrating the story of the Adiyogi and how the science of yoga was given to human beings. It was inaugurated by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Ram Nath Kovind on Mahashivratri in 2019. It is a 14 minute light and sound show, projected upon the Adiyogi Statue. In 2020, it won the Mondo*dr EMEA & APAC Award for Technology in Entertainment in the House of Worship category. Adiyogi Divya Darshanam happening Daily at 7 PM IST.

Other Adiyogi Shiva statues

In January, 2014, Jaggi Vasudev announced his desire to put Adiyogi Shiva statues in each of the Four Corners of India. A 112-Feet Adiyogi Shiva Statue at

Chikkaballapur Chikkaballapur or Chikkaballāpura is the district headquarters of the newly created Chikkaballapur district in the state of Karnataka, India, which was carved out from Kolar district. It is located within 3 km of Muddenahalli (the birthpla ...

was inaugurated on 15th Jan 2023. The statue is set up along with eight

Navagraha The navagraha are nine heavenly bodies and deities that influence human life on Earth according to Hinduism and Hindu mythology. The term is derived from ''nava'' ( "nine") and ''graha'' ( "planet, seizing, laying hold of, holding"). The nine part ...

temples along with Bhairavi Temple at the Isha Yoga Centre at

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

. On 30 August 2022, Vasudev visited , Baghpat. The Isha foundation desired to get land on lease for a Sanskrit School, Yoga Centre and a 68 m (242 ft) Adiyogi Shiva statue. The statue will be built near the banks of the Hindon River located near Pura Mahadev and Hariya Kheda,

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

Gallery

File:Adiyogi Shiva – view from above.jpg, View from above File:Event at Adiyogi Shiva centre.jpg, alt= File:Adiyogi-8-Isha yoga centre-coimbatore-India.jpg, Back of the bust

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Hinduism, India, Visual arts Buildings and structures in Coimbatore Busts (sculpture) Sculptures of gods Shiva in art Colossal statues in India Tourist attractions in Coimbatore 2017 sculptures 2017 establishments in Tamil Nadu Moon in art Statues in India