Vadodara: 17.5kg of gold used for plating Sursagar Shiva statue

While most in the city have had a glimpse of the iconic Lord Shiva statue plated with gold in the heart of Sursagar pond, few knew about the quantity and value of the gold used in it.

The trust that erected the statue and took up the gold plating work has now disclosed that gold worth around Rs 12 crore used in it.

The Satyam Shivam Sundaram Samiti floated by Manjalpur MLA Yogesh Patel had begun work on the 111-foot tall statue in 1996 and it was completed in 2002.

Fifteen years after the statue was dedicated to people, it was decided to plate it with gold and those at the helm of affairs of the organisation floated Swarna Sankalp Foundation.

Patel stated that the gold plating was a difficult task. He added that erecting the scaffolding itself was a challenge as the statue was very high and located in the centre of the pond.The winds at high altitude made it difficult for workers.

For gold coating, the statue was first cleaned with chemicals and plated with zinc. It was then plated with copper and finally gold plating was done on it.

The organisation received handsome donations for the work. Patel revealed that 17.5kg of gold was used for plating the statue. The gold is valued at around Rs 12 crore.

Patel had erected the statue after late Savliwale Swami in whom Patel has immense faith suggested that he should do so. The statue was christened Sarveshwar Mahadev.

The annual Shivji ki Savari that culminates at the Sursagar where an aarti at the statue is performed was also started by the samiti. The gold-plated statue will be formally dedicated to the city on Maha Shivratri on February 18.