Natalie Weber/Houston Public Media

A temple in Fort Bend County now houses the third largest statue in the United States.

The Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple inaugurated the 90-foot-tall, 90-ton Statue of Unity earlier this month. The statue depicts Hanuman, a Hindu deity who helped rescue the kidnapped wife of Rama, another deity and king.

“Hanuman is a symbol of uniting communities, of uniting people behind a goal,” said Vijay Sreenarasimhaiah, the temple’s vice president. “He is an example of a good spiritual leader because he brings people together.”

The statue was designed in India by His Holiness Sri Chinnajeeyar Swamiji. The pieces were manufactured in China, then shipped to the USA and assembled in the temple.

Prasad Gadiraju, the temple’s president, said there was a reason for the statue’s size and weight.

“90 is a very significant number. It is an auspicious number,” he said.

According to WorldAtlas, the Statue of Liberty is the tallest statue in the United States at 151 feet (excluding the pedestal), followed by Pegasus and the Dragon at 110 feet in Florida.

Natalie Weber/Houston Public Media

The statue depicts Hanuman as a human figure with a monkey face, with his palms facing forward as a sign of goodness.

“It is truly Hanuman’s blessing to the public or all devotees,” said Gadiraju.

Although the temple has an address in Sugar Land, it is located in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Houston, meaning that Houston was responsible for issuing permits for the temple.

Accordingly NewsweekThe statue sparked a strong reaction from some Christian conservatives on social media.

But Sreenarasimhaiah, the temple’s vice president, said he received nothing but support in obtaining permits from the city of Houston. Many people in the community have given positive feedback about the statue, he said.

“This is not to disparage anyone’s religion,” he said. “In fact, the people who worked on the project and supported it locally are of all different faiths, and they all appreciated it.”