Amit Shah to Lay Foundation for 81-Foot Shiva Statue in Gujarat

Ahmedabad, October 16 (Daily Kiran) : Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah is set to participate in several events in Gujarat on Friday, October 16, 2026. Among these, he will lay the foundation stone for an 81-foot statue of Lord Shiva at the Shakti Peeth Shri Vardayini Mataji Temple in the Rupala area of Gandhinagar.

According to government officials, Shah’s itinerary includes religious visits in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, an evening Aarti in Mansa, and a Garba event in Kolwada. His first engagement will be at 2:45 PM, where he will meet with revered Jain leader Param Pujya Nar Ratna Surishwar Ji Maharaj at the Prerna Tirth in Ahmedabad’s Satellite area. Following this, he will visit the Shri Vishva Jain Sangh in Paldi at 3:15 PM to meet with Param Pujya Udayprabh Surishwar Ji Maharaj.

The foundation-laying ceremony for the proposed 81-foot statue of Lord Shiva is scheduled for 6 PM at the temple in Gandhinagar. Shah will also perform prayers at the temple complex.

Later, he will head to Mansa, where he is expected to participate in the Aarti at Bahuchar Mata Temple at 7:30 PM. His final engagement will be at 9:30 PM in Kolwada, where he will attend a Garba event organized by the Navratri Youth Mandal at the Shri Ramji Temple.

This visit coincides with Navratri, a time when various religious events and traditional Garba celebrations are held across Gujarat. His schedule includes meetings with Jain religious leaders, prayers at Hindu temples, and participation in cultural programs.

Shah last visited Gujarat on September 27, when he inaugurated railway development projects worth ₹1,472 crores at Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Railway Station. During that visit, he flagged off the country’s first LNG-powered train and inaugurated the WAG-12 locomotive maintenance shed, along with various railway infrastructure upgrades including an automatic signaling system and the indigenous Kavach train safety system on select routes.