Small temples along the Highway in Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu
is currently attracting visitors thanks to the huge statues (idols) installed
by local Godmen and small temples in the region. Currently there are four huge
statues of Goddess Kali, Hanuman and Murugan in the region – all of them are
above 50 feet.
These huge statues are made using cement and steel bars.
The new statues are:
81-foot tall cement idol of Thillaivana Kalli Amman at Cuddalore Old Town
on the Puducherry-Chidambaram road.
51 feet tall at Andimadam.
30-feet high Murugan atop a temple at Kullanchavadi on the
Cuddalore-Vriddhachalam road.
30-feet tall Hanuman Sculpture at Kumarapuram near Cuddalore.
The New Indian Express reports
In an emerging trend, gigantic idols or ‘Vishwaroopams’ of Hindu divinity tower over the skyline along the highways in Nadunadu — as places falling under present-day Villupuram, Cuddalore and Ariyalur districts are described in ancient Tamil literature — sidestepping the rich spiritual tradition of the land where worshipping small idols inside temples with tall gopurams is the convention.
These colorfully painted idols are made of cement and steel, unlike the olden times when idols were carved out of stone or cast in metal or alloys like panchaloha.