Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
In a gesture of devotion transcending religious boundaries, Bharatanatyam artist Zahir Hussain has donated a ruby crown adorned with 600 diamonds to the Srirangam Ranganathar Temple in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruchirapalli, said to be one of the 108 earthly abodes of Lord Vishnu.
The offering, made on Wednesday, was handed over to the Head Priest of the temple, Sundar Bhattar.
The crown, made of a single ruby stone weighing 3,169 carats and embellished with gold and emeralds, is believed to be the first of its kind. Hussain shared that such a crown has not been offered to the temple deity in nearly 200 years. “The whole crown is made of a single ruby stone, and it is the world’s first crown of its kind. More than 600 diamonds and an emerald stone on the top adorn it,” he explained.
Hussain revealed that the idea of this offering struck him during a prayer session with Head Priest Murali Bhattar before the deity Aranganathar. The crown was crafted by artisan Gopal Das after an eight-year-long meticulous process.
“The stone was found in Rajasthan, and it took three years to find the right ruby. The grinding team demanded that if the stone broke during the work, the entire cost would be borne by me. It was risky, but everything went well,” Hussain said.
Hussain used savings from his performances over several years to fund the project but declined to disclose the crown’s cost. He emphasised that his gesture was purely driven by devotion, dismissing any connection to religious identity. “Ranganathar is the prominent God for me, along with Andal. Religion has nothing to do with my offering. I don’t differentiate between being Muslim, Hindu, or Christian,” he said.
