Seattle: The first-ever life-size statue of Swami Vivekananda in the US was unveiled in the city of Seattle on Saturday.
Installed at the busy Westlake Square in downtown Seattle, the life-size bronze statue is the first such installation hosted by a city government anywhere in the US, officials said, as reported by PTI.
The statue was sculpted by Indian artist Naresh Kumar Kumawat, and it was jointly unveiled by Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Consul General of India in Seattle Prakash Gupta.
“From Chicago 1893 to Seattle 2026! Seattle’s skyline has a new Indian icon: Swami Vivekananda! City of Seattle becomes the first city government to host the Swami Vivekananda Monument in the heart of downtown Seattle,” the Consulate General of India in Seattle said in a social media post.
Wilson, while addressing the event, said the monument reflects Seattle’s inclusive spirit and strengthens cultural ties between India and the diverse metropolitan tech hub in the US Pacific Northwest.
The statue is a gift from the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) to the City of Seattle in recognition of its “in recognition of the city’s rich multicultural character and spirit of inclusivity”, the Indian mission in Seattle said in a statement.
The statue was unveiled on the occasion of ICCR Day and is part of India’s broader cultural diplomacy initiatives aimed at strengthening people-to-people ties between India and the US Pacific Northwest, the Consulate added.
The monument stands at the bustling Westlake Square, which sees over 400,000 visitors daily. It is located near prominent landmarks including the Amazon headquarters ‘Spheres’, the Seattle Convention Centre and the Seattle Centre Monorail.
Several local leaders attended the ceremony, including mayors from cities in the Greater Seattle area, community representatives and members of the Indian-American diaspora.
Swami Vivekananda had delivered his historic address at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, introducing Hindu philosophy to a global audience.
