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

Amit Shah will lay the foundation stone for an 81-foot Lord Shiva statue in Gujarat’s Rupal on October 16, followed by temple prayers, an aarti and a Raas Garba programme.

Post Published By: Aditya Wadhawan

Updated : 16 October 2026, 7:12 AM IST

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for an 81-foot Lord Shiva statue at the Varadayini Mataji Temple in Gujarat’s Rupal. (Images: X)

Gandhinagar: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will lay the foundation stone for a proposed 81-foot-tall statue of Lord Shiva at the Shaktipeeth Shri Varadayini Mataji Temple in Rupal, Gandhinagar on Friday, October 16, as part of a series of religious and cultural engagements across Gujarat.

The ceremony is scheduled for 6 pm, according to the minister’s itinerary. Shah will also offer prayers at the temple complex before proceeding to other evening programmes.

Amit Shah’s Gujarat Schedule: Temple Visits Before Shiva Statue Ceremony

Shah’s engagements will begin in Ahmedabad, where he is scheduled to meet Jain religious leaders. At 2:45 pm, he will visit Gachchhadhipati Param Pujya Nar Ratna Surishwar Ji Maharaj at Prerna Tirth in the Satellite area. At 3:15 pm, he is scheduled to meet Gachchhadhipati Param Pujya Udayprabha Surishwar Ji Maharaj at Shri Vishwa Jain Sangh in Paldi. The minister will then travel to Rupal for the foundation-laying ceremony of the proposed Shiva statue.

Bahuchar Mata Aarti and Raas Garba on the Itinerary

Following the temple programme in Gandhinagar, Shah is scheduled to attend the evening aarti at Bahuchar Mata Temple in Mansa at 7:30 pm. His final engagement is a Raas Garba programme organised by Navratri Yuvak Mandal at Shri Ramji Temple in Navratri Chowk, Kolwada, scheduled for 9:30 pm.

The visit coincides with Navratri, when Gujarat hosts religious gatherings and traditional garba celebrations.

Amit Shah’s Previous Gujarat Visit

Shah last visited Gujarat on September 27, when he inaugurated and launched railway development projects worth Rs 1,472 crore at Sabarmati railway station in Ahmedabad, alongside Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The projects included an LNG-powered train, a WAG-12 locomotive maintenance shed and railway safety infrastructure.