Modi unveils Lord Shiva statue, says rejecting ancient ideas may be 'harmful'

Calling people to embrace the age-old practice of Yoga, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said rejecting an idea because it is ancient could be "potentially harmful".

The Prime Minister, who recently unveiled a 112-foot statue of Adiyogi, Lord Shiva, on the occasion of Mahashivratri at the Isha foundation in Coimbatore, said Yoga is constantly evolving.

As a tribute to Adiyogi, he lit the sacred fire to commence the Maha Yoga Yagna across the world, under which he said,"1 million people will take an oath to teach a simple form of yoga to at least 100 people each in the coming year, and touch at least 100 million people before the next Mahashivaratri".

"Yoga is ancient yet modern, constant yet evolving, but the essence of yoga has not changed. It is important to preserve this essence," Modi said.

A brainchild of spiritual leader Jaggi Vasudev Sadhguru, the statue showcases Shiva's contribution as Adiyogi.

"It is essential that the next generations of people on this planet are seekers, not believers. As philosophies, ideology, belief systems that don't stand the test of logic and the scientific verification will naturally collapse in coming decades, you will see the longing for liberation will rise. When that longing rises, Adiyogi and the science of Yoga will become very important," Sadhguru said.

The Prime Minister also took stock of the sprawling precincts of the Isha Foundation's ashram, as he visited the 22-feet underground water body at the Suryakund that aims at the physical cleansing and balancing of the human body.

He participated in the Pancha Bhuta Aradhana by Sadhguru - a yogic process of cleansing the five elements of the human system - at the Dhyanalinga, a multi religious meditation shrine, followed by a visit to the Linga Bhairavi, a feminine shrine for physical, material and spiritual wellbeing.