Anybody who has been to the Chaitanya Jyoti Museum in the Vidya Giri Stadium would agree that it is truly an architectural beauty, a jewel among concrete structures which carries the Divine Consciousness within its walls. When visitors enter the Contemplation Hall they become moved by the tangible divine touch of the Lord that comes from the silence and the ambience of the room. No one can help but notice the striking statue of Swami that adorns the room.

We thought it will be nice to tell you the story of the beautiful statue. Imbued with the commanding presence of the Lord, it is a life size replica made from bronze; and yet has all the sweetness that we associate with His Love. The form of the Lord is always sacred. It carries power to connect the devotee to God. It is a channel for the Divine blessings and protection.

So it was the devotees' fortune to be present in the Kulwant Hall on Gurupoornima 2002, when the bronze statue of Bhagavan was placed on the front veranda. A gentleman called Mr. Luigi Faranti had it fashioned in Italy and transported here with much devotion.

Then, exactly a year later on 28th August 2003 , Swami instructed that the statue should be placed in the Chaitanya Jyoti Museum on public display. With the help of a tractor-trailer it was immediately taken to the Museum and was provisionally placed in the VIP room - the room's most important guest had arrived!

Col. Bose, who is in charge of the Museum, considered four possibilities for the best display venue and discussed the matter with Sri Indulal Shah, the Chairman of International Sai Organisations then and the soul-force behind the Museum. They received a divine 'hurry up', as the very next day Swami asked if a place had been found! The Contemplation Hall became the preferred choice and the installation date fixed for 4th September.

However a problem arose in constructing a pedestal. Concrete would need more than 5 days to set and wood would not carry the statue's weight of more than 700kg. So the ingenious Museum staff had to find a solution quickly and this came in the form of some granite stonework left over from the Museum's construction. These became the plinth for the statue to rest on, surrounded by teak wood.

 

The statue still had to be moved 25 metres. This was achieved by rolling it over metal pipes, which took 20 minutes and the same number of Seva Dals, whereupon it was lifted into place. Bhajans were then performed for the installation ceremony.

You must agree, as would any visitor to the Contemplation Hall, that this life size image of the Lord captivates one's attention at all times. The devotees’ journey in the musuem culminates at the Chaitanya Jyoti Meditation Hall. This affirms to the visitor that having viewed the enchanting Museum’s edifying contents, we must learn from one of its messages. For it is when we See Always Inside - SAI - that the real gift of Chaitanya Jyoti is experienced. One feels Swami's Presence emanates from the statue and it is thus an easy conduit for communication with God for as Swami says,

"If you look to Me, I look to you."

- H2H Team