Giant 40-foot veena installed in Ayodhya as tribute to Lata Mangeshkar

A giant 40-foot veena has been installed at a prominent intersection in Ayodhya as a tribute to legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar on her 93rd birth anniversary.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday virtually inaugurated the intersection, 'Lata Mangeshkar Chauraha', which has been developed at an estimated cost of Rs 7.9 crore on the banks of the Sarayu river.

The 40-ft-long veena is 12-metre-high and weighs 14 tonnes, and is possibly the first of its kind installed across the country.


The administration is planning to make the intersection a great attraction for tourists and music lovers. It is the first place in the country where such a giant musical instrument has been installed, they added.

Satyendra Singh, secretary of the Ayodhya Development Authority, which is managing the project, told PTI that the giant veena has been made by Padma Shri awardee Ram Sutar, who took two months to make it.

"The beautifully designed veena has a picture of Saraswati, the goddess of music, engraved on it," he said.

An invitation was extended to the late singer's sister Usha Mangeshkar and other family members for the inaugural ceremony.

PM Modi virtually inaugurated the intersection with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attending the event in person. Union Tourism Minister G. Kishan Reddy was present at the event.

The PM Modi in the morning paid a touching tribute to the legendary singer in a post on Twitter.

Born on September 28, 1929, Lata Mangeshkar began her career in 1942 at the age of 13. In a career spanning seven decades, the melody queen recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films. She recorded her songs in over 36 regional Indian and foreign languages. She is known as the 'Queen of Melody' and 'India's Nightingale'. The Bharat Ratna honoree passed away on February 6 due to multiple organ failure.