The statue of Guru Padmasambhava. A Telegraph picture

Samdruptse (south Sikkim), Feb. 18: Sixty-year-old Sonam Sangye had come all the way from Mangan in north Sikkim to witness the inauguration of the largest statue of Guru Padmasambhava, the patron saint of the hill state, at Samdruptse.

“I would not have missed it for the world. My grandson helped me come to see the ceremony. The sight of the grand statue is beautiful,” said Sangya, who suffers from arthritis.

She was among the thousands, including tourists, who thronged the hill today to see the inauguration of the magnificent work of art and place flowers at the foot of the statue.

Standing at a height of 151 feet, the statue faces the Himalayas and can be viewed from west and south Sikkim and as far as the Darjeeling hills. The grandeur in stone is nothing but awe-inspiring and breathtaking.

For chief minister Pawan Chamling, it was a special occasion.

Almost seven years ago, he had promised to pay the biggest ever tribute to Guru Padmasambhava. Today as he inaugurated his dream project, he could not but praise the efforts of his government.

“This is a historical day for Sikkim as the largest statue of the Guru Padmasambhava has been officially unveiled in the land blessed by him. No one in the past, including the Chogyals, had thought up such a magnificent tribute for the patron saint,” he said.

The statue standing tall over Samdruptse, a hill located some 10 km above Namchi and believed to have magical powers, was built at a cost of Rs 6.76 crore.

Work on the project started in 1997 with the Dalai Lama laying the foundation stone.

According to sources at the tourism department, which funded the project, building the largest statue of the saint seemed an almost impossible task since there was no motorable pathway or water supply up the hill.

Later the task of constructing the statue was handed over to the Do Drupchen Trust based at Deorali in Gangtok and headed by Kyabje Do Drupchen Rimpoche. The project was completed within a span of two-and-half years.

Padmasambhava who brought Buddhism to Sikkim in the 8th century while on his way to Tibet is said to have meditated in four different caves in the state and also near Gurudongmar lake in north Sikkim.

Buddhist scriptures mention Sikkim as a land blessed by Padmasambhava, more popularly known as Guru Rimpoche.

Chamling reminded the gathering that recognising Guru Rimpoche also meant recognising Sikkim since the land has been associated with the saint even in religious scriptures.

“It was the SDF government that took up this initiative to pay tribute to the patron saint of the hill state,” said Chamling who faces elections eight months before schedule at the same time as the general elections.

The area would be developed as a pilgrimage centre for both devotees and tourists alike, added Chamling who is now continuing in office as part the caretaker government.

Earlier in the morning, he laid the foundation stone for a 2-km ropeway at the Forest Colony in Namchi.

The ropeway, to be built at a cost of Rs. 16.5 crore, will link Namchi with Samdruptse. Ten trestle towers will connect the ropeway along the 2-km stretch and 26 cabins, to be imported from Switzerland, will ply the route.