Day Trips: Statue of Union, Sugar Land

photos by Gerald E. McLeod

The Statue of Union towers over the flat urban landscape of Sugar Land. At 90 feet tall and 90 tons, the bronze monument to Lord Hanuman is the third-tallest statue in the U.S., and the tallest of the Hindu deity in North America.

In Hindu mythology, Hanuman is half-human, half-monkey, and a devoted follower of Prince Rama, considered an incarnation of Vishnu, one of the main deities in Hinduism. Hanuman helped Rama defeat Ravana and rescue Sita, Rama’s wife. Hanuman is considered to be a symbol of strength, courage, and devotion.

He is represented as half monkey, symbolizing the agitated human mind. At his side is a gada, a traditional Indian weapon and strength training tool, and a symbol of power and righteousness. At his feet is a squirrel, which are sacred to Hindus as a symbol of resourcefulness and playfulness. The statue is to be a place of solace and peace.

The project was devised by Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji, an Indian guru who operates spiritual centers in India and the U.S.

Sri Chinna Jeeyar also built the Statue of Equality in Hyderabad, India. A statue of the 11th-century Indian philosopher Ramanuja, it is the second-tallest sitting statue in the world.

The Statue of Union is at 10098 Synott Rd. next to the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple in an industrial area mixed with houses of worship in suburban Houston. Unveiled in August 2024, the statue stands on a platform over a small pond, and is accessible from a parking lot on its north side.

Next door to the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple is the Vietnam Buddhist Center at 10002 Synott Rd. The serene water garden at the center has a 72-foot statue of Quan Am. It is one of the tallest statues in the U.S., and believed to the tallest sculpture of the mother of Buddha in the hemisphere.

1,750th in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere: Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/daily/travel.