The tranquillity attained from spending quality time at shrines is unmatched as it is proven to calm down impulsive thoughts and bestow positive energy. But what if one can club together the spiritual journey with meditation. The result would be an unrivalled energy, a sense of peace and tranquillity. That’s’ what we get from stepping into the iconic Isha foundations, a non profitable spiritual organisation established in 1992 in Coimbatore by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. After over 2 decades, they added another feather to the cap, Adiyogi statue. Read more to know about Adiyogi shiva statue in Coimbatore before you visit next time.
Adiyogi
Adiyogi believes in one concept, Shiva is one and this is the source of yoga as the popular tagline justifies their idea, Adiyogi: the source of yoga. It is nestled amidst the beautiful hills of Velliangiri and adorns the gateway to the Isha meditation centre which is decades old. It was designed by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev himself and inaugurated in 2017 in a frenzy celebration event that lit up the whole city and the Shiva temple was destined to be the face of Coimbatore.
Eminent names from the country graced the soil of Coimbatore to be a part of the historic grand unveil, honourable prime minister Mr. Narendra Modi walked into the spiritual premises with beefed up securities around the whole city, famous celebrities and yoga practitioners from all over the world flocked the Manchester hub to witness what was turning out to be historic nights in the books.
The Adiyogi statue is 112ft tall (34meter), 147ft long (45meters) and 82ft wide (25meters). It is a steel statue of the Hindu deity Shiva, who is considered to be the epitome of Meditation and yoga. A proud moment indeed for the Kovai makkal as the statue is recognised by the Guinness world records as the largest bust sculpture in the world. The steel statue weighs approximately around 500 tonnes.
Watch how Sadhguru was able to transmit his vision from his mind to the effigy in what was a 2 year time frame to even sharpen the aesthic design. A vision of Exuberant yet Equanimous design.
Sadhguru didn’t obviously hit for the random numbers when choosing the heights, the 112 ft symbolizes 112 possibilities and ways to attain Liberation (moksha) in the books of yoga culture and not to forget the 112 chakras in the human body. The Indian board of tourism has included the statue in its Incredible India campaign. A linga was consecrated and nuzzled in front of the statue.
How to reach Adiyogi?
Adiyogi statue is approximately 31kms from the Coimbatore centre, 29kms from the city railway station and 42kms from the city airport. The distance is calculated through the Siruvani main road from Thondamuthur.
You can avail the 14D buses from Gandipuram to reach the Isha centre directly, which will take close to an hour for the touchdown. There are constant buses plying between Coimbatore and Poondi via Isha centre each hour.
There are many routes to reach Adiyogi, but only 2 of that makes it easy for us to narrow down the exact road on Maps. The first route obviously being the Siruvani main road from Thondamuthur, the traffic is quite less and there are shops and restaurants on both sides decorating the charming roads. Sightseeing goes for a toss here as concrete buildings are the only things you will ever get to see, but there are occasional relief points like the road from karunya which has some lush green fields to ease off your journey. If you continue progressing on your journey on the main road, you will get to the surreal Siruvani falls, but if you take the intersection road up your right, your journey to Isha centre commences with beautiful fields gracing both sides of the road.
The second route is from Vadavalli to Isha road, from where you can check out the glorious Marudamalai shrine within 10kms from there. If you take up this road, be ready to dive into the rural yet beautiful face of Coimbatore, the roads are often small but thanks to zero traffic, you wouldn’t be surprised to be the only one driving on this roads at times. There are few petty shops, nothing as sort of big ones or fancy restaurants. The road takes you to the village of Booluvampatti from where you can reach Isha in less than 15 minutes.
Adiyogi and Isha centre
Once you touch down your main destination of Adiyogi Shiva statue, you will be awestruck by the breathtaking view from the foothills of Velliangiri. The entrance has a huge black rock nested just above you on the giant welcome arch, the parking fee is Rs.10, the entry fee is obviously free. You will need to drive around 100 meters to reach the parking zone, the charming point of the Adiyogi lies in the fact that it is visible from anywhere even if you don’t check into the premises. The tall statue allures the passerby travellers on the roads nearby and that’s how prominent and effective the effigy stands out.
Once you walk up the near the effigy, you can’t help but notice the divinely ambience you are exposed to, the statue is tall, soft and heaves a sense of breezy waves of tranquillity when you get closer, there’s a small linga and a shrine like set up few meters in front, where people from Isha meditation centre often dive into the world of meditation, there’s always a soothing music playing in the background to harmonise your body with soul.
A huge area at the front makes for a perfect place to bunk if you are especially worn out from the bumpy ride, you can snap some quality pictures of Adiyogi from this point. On the whole a perfect spot to bunk down and enjoy the scenic beauty that surrounds you, with cows gazing the fields, birds chirping and other likeminded people attains the tranquillity around you.
Once you walk past the 112 ft effigy you can reach the decades old Isha meditation centre. You can’t make heads and tails of the age of the centre as the aesthetic quality is way ahead of time and the design language is radical with a ravishing essence of subtle lights adoring every corner. And don’t forget that any form of electrical gadgets and mobile phones needs to be dropped off at the lobby.
For anyone trying to take a cue out from the yoga culture, this is your first ticket to experience the impeccable shades of yoga and meditation. Check out the page for amazing contents in Coimbatore and places nearby