Swami Vivekananda Rock and Statue of Liberty
| Swami Vivekananda Statue, Kanyakumari, India | Statue of Liberty, New York, USA |
| Statue of a Man | Statue of a Woman |
| Inspired by Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee under the leadership of RSS General Secretary Sri Eknath Ranade | Inspired by the French intellectuals under Edouard de Laboulaye |
| Symbol of Spiritual Freedom | Symbol of Political freedom |
| Height: 9 feet | Height of statue: 151 feet 1 inch Including pedestal 305 ft 1 inch |
| Made up of Bronze Granite stones used :6000 tons | Made up of metal with copper cover; Weight of the statue 229 metric tonnes |
| Go by ferry to the rock 500 metres away from main land | Go by ferry to Liberty Island |
| Message: Arise ! Awake ! Stop not till the goal is reached | Liberty, Equality, Fraternity |
| Millions of tourists visit every year | Millions of Tourists visit every year |
| Erected in 1970 | Erected in 1886 |
| Sculptor: SK Achari | Sculptor :Auguste Bartholdi |
| Near By attraction: Kanyakumari Bhagavathy Amman Temple, Tiruvalluvar Statue. Sun and Moon rise visible on full moon days at the point of convergence of Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean | Near by attraction: Immigration Museum at Ellis Island; Big Apple: New York. Statue of Liberty is the tallest statue in the world. |
| Fund Raising throughout India | Fund raising throughout France. Joseph Pulitzer raised funds for the pedestal in the USA. |
| Mandapam (hall )Made with marbles brought from Tamil Nadu | Made in Paris (France) and shipped to Mew York |
| Special Features: Dhyana Mandapam for meditation, Sri Pada Mandpam with the foot prints of Goddess. Swami Vivekananda visited Kanyakumari in 1892 as part of his pilgrimage to holy centres. When he went there he swam to the rock and did meditation on the rock. It is said the he got great inspiration to serve the country and the humanity instead of individual salvation. He received a grand vision in his meditation for the uplift of India. | Special features: Right arm holding the torch is 42 feet long; Index finger alone is 8 ft long. The figure has broken shackles of tyranny at her feet. She holds the declaration of Independence in her left hand. Her crown has seven rays representing freedom across the seven continents. The statue of Liberty inspired Emma Lazarus’ well known poem “The Colossus”. The statue is a gift from the people of France. |
| Swami Vivekananda became very famous after his brief but beautiful speech at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, USA. | Statue of Liberty is the most famous landmark of America |
| Swami Vivekananda inspired millions of youths by his rousing call to the nation. | Statue of Liberty inspired thousands of refugees who flocked to USA in 1900s. Ellis Island saw 2000 refugees every day at one time. |
| On the shores of Indian Ocean | On the shores of Atlantic Ocean |
| Stamps are issued on Vivekananda | Stamps are issued the statue. |
| Celebrated 40[SUP]th[/SUP] anniversary on a grand manner | Celebrated 125[SUP]th[/SUP] anniversary on a grand manner |
| Of the two rocks in the sea, the big rock is taken by Swami Vivekananda. Smaller rock went to Thiruvalluvar statue. The big rock occupies four acres. | Liberty island is a big island with a park. Restaurants, Book shops, Gift shops and many other facilities are available in the island. |
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| Posted by S Swaminathan | |
| Contact: [email protected] | |
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