The Siddhesvara Dham at Solophok hilltop. Picture by Prabin Khaling

Namchi, Nov. 8: Sikkim today made a giant leap into pilgrimage tourism with the opening of Siddhesvara Dham that boasts a 108ft tall statue of Lord Shiva and replicas of four sacred Hindu temples in the country.

The site near Namchi was consecrated by Shri Jagadguru Sankaracharya Swami Swarupananda Saraswati.

Siddhesvara Dham has been created over 29.9 hectares at Solophok hilltop, 5km from Namchi, at a cost of Rs 56.51 crore.

The giant statue of Lord Shiva in sitting posture has been erected at the highest point of the hilltop. The statue overlooks the complex whose main attraction is the models of sacred Hindu shrines at Jagannath, Badrinath, Dwaraka and Rameswaram.

The Siddhesvara Dham is also dotted with the replicas of all 12 jyotirlingas (Shiva shrines) spread across the country. An 18feet tall statue of Lord Kirateshwar (an incarnation of Lord Shiva believed to have become a hunter in Sikkim forests according to Hindu mythology) has also been created at the Solophok complex.

The chief minister, Pawan Chamling, was present when the complex was consecrated by the Sankaracharya. Chamling hoped that the Siddhesvar Dham would add to the communal harmony, peace and prosperity of Sikkim.

“We have built the Siddhesvar Dham for the development of our people and their spiritual uplift. We pray that the flow of development and peace continue in Sikkim,” he said.

A 135ft statue of Guru Padmasambhava — the patron saint of Sikkim — and a two-storey temple dedicated to Sai Baba also boost the pilgrimage appeal of South Sikkim. While Guru Padmasambhava’s statue is across the Solophok hilltop, the Sai temple is just a stone’s throw from the new pilgrimage complex.

Namchi is 75km from Gangtok and is the administrative headquarters of South Sikkim.

The rural development department said the Siddhesvara Dham had been set up with an aim to promote pilgrimage tourism and create commercial opportunities for the local people.

“All tourism stakeholders in Sikkim are grateful to the chief minister for dedicating the biggest tourism asset to the state. The religious complex will definitely generate pilgrimage tourism in the state. The religious sites in Sikkim will not only promote tourism but will also bless the people here. All the people in Sikkim will benefit spiritually and economically from this asset,” said Paljor Lachungpa, the adviser to the Travel Agents’ Association of Sikkim.

Lachungpa said he hoped that the creation of such assets would lead to all-year tourism in Sikkim.

“Earlier, we were dependent only on nature-based tourism. With new sites, we can market the state throughout the year,” he said.

The Sikkim Assembly had passed a bill in August to set up an autonomous body for the management of Siddhesvara Dham.