Hindu ‘God of War’ Idol Planned in N.C. Will Stand Taller Than the Statue of Liberty

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – A Hindu nonprofit organization is moving forward with plans to construct a massive 155-foot Hindu idol of Lord Murugan in rural Chatham County—an enormous structure that, once completed, would stand taller than the Statue of Liberty’s figure.

The project is being led by the Carolina Murugan Temple (CMT), a registered nonprofit that acquired more than 130 acres at 100 Murugan Circle in Moncure for what it envisions as a sprawling temple campus honoring the Tamil “warrior god.” The property sits near the Deep River in a quiet community roughly 30 miles southwest of Raleigh.

According to CMT, the future complex will include not only the towering idol of Lord Murugan but also a Tamil cultural museum, a language library, and walking trails woven throughout the grounds. The group describes the development as a landmark meant to preserve Tamil identity and heritage abroad.

Idol Taller Than the Statue of Liberty’s Sculpture

Project documents and reporting indicate the idol will reach 155 feet, surpassing the 151-foot height of the Statue of Liberty’s figure (not including its 154-foot pedestal). The Murugan statue is expected to rest on a comparatively modest 35-foot base, meaning the sculpture itself will rise higher than America’s iconic monument in New York Harbor.

CMT has not publicly confirmed a final height, referring to the structure only as the “world’s tallest Murugan statue,” but Indian outlets and local filings reflect the 155-foot estimate.

Years of Preparation and Ritual Groundbreaking

The organization purchased the 130-acre property in 2019, after the site plan received county approval in late 2018. Construction phases are in development, and fundraising is ongoing.

In May 2021, priests performed a Boomi Poojai ritual—a Hindu ceremony honoring the Earth goddess—on the land to formally inaugurate the project’s sacred purpose.

Part of Rapid Growth in Hindu Temples and Idols Across America

The Lord Murugan idol is one of several large Hindu statues recently erected or planned in the United States, reflecting the growing footprint of Hindu temples nationwide. These include:

• An 87-foot “Tower of Unity and Prosperity” dedicated in 2022 in Cary, North Carolina
• A 90-foot Lord Hanuman idol installed in 2024 near Houston, Texas

Though Hindus represent only about 1 percent of the U.S. population, the community has doubled in size over the past 15 years. The number of Hindu temples has likewise expanded—from roughly 435 temples two decades ago to around 1,000 today.

Prophetic Significance

In this climate where idols rise and false temples take shape, many discern a deeper spiritual current moving through the nation—one that mirrors the very pattern Jesus described in Matthew 13. As darkness spreads and deception increases, these developments resemble the parable of the wheat and the tares, where the enemy sowed weeds among the good seed and both were allowed to grow together until the time of the harvest. The visible rise of idolatry reflects an inward turning away from the truth—a sign of the apostasy Scripture warns will mark the last days. Yet Jesus also taught that as the tares mature, so does the wheat. In the same season that false worship spreads, the people of God are ripening for their purpose. Thus, the rise of idols is not only a sign of encroaching darkness but also of an approaching harvest—the harvest of the world Jesus spoke of, when the sons of the Kingdom will shine like the sun and many will be brought into the fold before the final separation. In this hour, the maturing of wickedness and the maturing of righteousness occur side by side, revealing that the Judge of all the earth is preparing to bring in His great end-time harvest.

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