THE '135 HEADED ADISHESHA' STATUE
Mr. Kiran Subbaiah's masterpiece, the 135-headed Lord Adishesha, is a mind-blowing piece of sculpture and is on its way to the Record books. Presently the Adishesha deity at Pashupatinath temple in Nepal holds the record with 108 hoods. Apart from 135 heads of the Adishesha, the statue also depicts 45 individual snakes carved in different postures on the pedestal and sides of the 5 ft 1 ½ inch tall deity.
About the statue of Adishesha
- The powerful serpent god 'Lord Adishesha' is believed to be carrying the whole earth on its head.
- At present, the number of heads carved of Lord Adishesha is 108 (One hundred & Eight) at Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.
- Now, the number of heads carved by Mr. Kiran Subbaiah of Lord Adishesha is 135 (one hundred & thirty-five), which could be a world record and find a place in the Guinness Book of world records.
- One hundred thirty-five heads, wherein according to Numerology, the individual numbers in the number 135, each one is an odd number, the sum of 1, 3 & 5 being 9which is also an odd number & considered a lucky number. Above all this, Serpents are always depicted or carved with the sum of the number of heads being only odd numbers.
- Apart from the 135-headed Lord Adishesha, there are 45 (forty-five) individual snakes carved in different poses or postures on the pedestal & the sides of the main statue. The sum total of the individual numbers of 45 is also 9.
- Shri Yanthra, Om Yanthra, and Gayathri Mantra are also engraved on the backside of the statue.
About Adishesha
Adishesha is the thousand-headed serpent on which Lord Vishnu resides in Vaikunta. Adishesha floats upon the sea of milk in Vaikunta. He is the firstborn of the serpents. His mother is Kadru, a daughter of Daksha. His father is the sage Kashyapa. According to the Mahabharata, he was asked by Lord Brahma to bear the weight of the world on his head.
He was saddened by the wicked ways of his brothers and left them. He repaired to the mountain Gandhamadana and practiced ascetic devotions, living upon air and rigidly observing his vows. He passed his days in those sacred regions with his passions under complete control. When Lord Brahma saw the devotion of this serpent, he appeared in person and offered to grant him a boon.
Sesha said, "My brothers are wicked of heart. I do not wish to live among them. Let this not draw the censure of the world. I wish to cast off this body of mine and attain salvation. I am very much grieved by the treatment meted out to my aunt Vinata and her son by my mother and brothers."
Brahma said, "Thou shalt attain salvation in due course. Ask me another boon."
Sesha replied, "O divine, O Grandsire, Let my heart always delight in virtue and in ascetic penances."
The Lord said, "So be it. I shall also confer another honor upon you. You shall bear the earth upon your head and support her great weight steady."
Dimensions of the Statue of Adishesha
- Total height of the statue, including the base…………………….5 feet, 1 ½ inches
- Width ………………………………………………………………………3 feet
- Breadth……………………………………………………………………3 feet 8 inches
- Height of the statue without the base……………………………….4 feet 3 inches
- Width ………………………………………………………………………3 feet
- Breadth……………………………………………………………………2 feet 8 inches
- Height of the base(Pedestal)…………….……………………………….10 ½ inches
- Width ………………………………………………………………………3 feet
- Breadth……………………………………………………………………3 feet 8 inches
The time taken to carve this statue has been about three years now. Completion of the statue would take approximately another year.
