Mumbai: The grand Ganesh Utsav has already begun and will conclude on 6 September. While the festival is celebrated across India with immense devotion, it is in Maharashtra that the celebrations reach their peak with vibrant pandals, music, and rituals. Devotees across the country bring home idols of Lord Ganesha, seeking blessings for prosperity and wisdom.
But here’s a surprising fact: the world’s tallest statue of Lord Ganesha is not in India. Many would naturally assume the record belongs to the land where Ganesh Chaturthi originated, but the tallest idol of Lord Ganesha actually stands in another country. Let’s take a closer look at this extraordinary monument.
The tallest statue of Lord Ganesha is located at the Khlong Khuean Ganesh International Park in Chachoengsao province, Thailand. Rising to a staggering height of 128 feet (39 metres), the idol is as tall as a 12-storey building, making it one of the most spectacular religious statues globally.
This magnificent idol is made of 854 bronze pieces and depicts Lord Ganesha with four hands. Each hand holds a symbolic fruit—sugarcane, banana, mango, and jackfruit—representing Thailand’s agricultural richness.
At the feet of the idol lies a massive statue of Ganesha’s vahana, the mouse, holding modaks (sweet dumplings) in its hands. The park where the statue is located is among Thailand’s most famous attractions, spread across 40,000 square metres.
In Thailand, Lord Ganesha is worshipped as “Phra Phikanet” and revered as the remover of obstacles, as well as the deity of success and prosperity. Devotees in the country hold deep faith in him, and his presence in Thai culture highlights the strong spiritual and cultural bonds between India and Thailand.
