Coming up: World's largest Hindu temple in Bihar

Replicating the world largest Hindu temple in Combodia's Angkor Wat, the Bihar Mahavir Mandir Trust on Sunday said they will build a bigger temple in Bihar's Vaishali district.

To be built at a cost of Rs 100 crore, the five-storied and 222-feet tall temple will come up at a sprawling campus spread over 15 acres at a place near Ismailpur village on Hajipur-Bidupur road, which will be christened as Angkor Nagar, BMMT's secretary and ex-IPS officer Acharya Kishore Kunal said.

Land worth around Rs 30 crore has already been acquired for the purpose from locals, he said.

The proposed temple will be named 'Virat Angkor Wat Ram Mandir' and it will house the statues of Radha-Krishna, Shiva-Parvati, Ganesh, Surya, Vishnu and ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

It will take upto five years to construct the temple and another five years to give the final finishing touches to it, Kunal said.

On selection of the specific site for construction of the world's largest Hindu temple, he said the place has mythological significance as it was said that the deities Ram, Lakshman and Vishvamitra had set their foot on the village and were welcomed by the King Sumati of the Vaishali kingdom.

The 'bhumi pujan' for the proposed temple will be held on Monday, Kunal said, adding that the temple was being constructed to mark the centenary celebrations of the BMMTs.

The Angkor Wat temple was built in Cambodia in the 12th century during the rule of then Cambodian king Suryavarman (1141-1152 AD).