Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday unveiled a 77-foot-tall bronze statue of Bhagwan Ram at the Shree Samsthan Gokarn Partagali Jeevottam Math in the Canacona area of Goa as part of the mutt's 550th year celebrations.

The statue, which is said to be the tallest statue of Bhagwan Ram in the world, was made by the well-known sculptor Ram Sutar, who also designed the Statue of Unity in Gujarat.

Reports state that several programmes are being organised from November 27 to December 7 to honour the 550-year-old tradition of the mutt. The mutt, located in the Partagal village in Canacona in the South Goa district, was established 370 years ago.

As per sources, nearly seven thousand to ten thousand visitors are expected to visit the mutt every day during the celebrations.

Before unveiling the statue, PM Modi visited Udupi in Karnataka, where he held a roadshow after addressing the Laksha Kantha Gita Parayana programme at the Sri Krishna Matha.

During his visit to Udupi, the Prime Minister inaugurated the Suvarna Teertha Mantapa located in front of the Krishna sanctum and unveiled the Kanaka Kavacha, a golden covering for the Kanakana Kindi, the sacred window where saint Kanakadasa is believed to have witnessed a divine vision of Bhagwan Krishna.

At the event, Modi praised the good governance tradition of the Jan Sangh, the predecessor of the BJP, after joining one lakh devotees in reciting verses from the Bhagavad Gita during the Laksha Kantha Gita Parayana at Sri Krishna Matha.

He recited the Bhagavad Gita along with more than one lakh participants, including students, monks, scholars, and people from different walks of life.

While addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister fondly remembered the contributions of VS Acharya in Udupi. He said his visit carried a special meaning and described the town as the “karmabhoomi” of the Jan Sangh and the governance model followed by the BJP.

He recalled that in 1968, Udupi had elected Jana Sangh leader VS Acharya to the municipal corporation, creating the base for a new approach to administration. He noted that the cleanliness model visible today was introduced in Udupi five decades ago, along with early improvements in water supply and drainage systems in the 1970s.

PM Modi added that the collective recitation of Bhagavad Gita shlokas by one lakh people showed the spiritual strength of India to the world.