The world’s tallest statue is nearly complete, with construction workers reaching waist height of the towering near 600-foot monument to India’s late independence leader Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
After nearly five years of construction, the monument is set to stand at 597 feet tall – almost twice the height of the Statue of Liberty and nearly 100 feet higher than the current record holder, China’s Spring Temple Buddha.
Set on Sadhu Island in western India, the £226.9million Statue of Unity is due to be completed by October, surrounded by the waters of the Narmada river.
Progress on what is set to be the world’s tallest statue is nearing completion, with construction workers reaching waist height of the monument to India’s late independence leader Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
After nearly five years of construction, the monument is set to stand at 597 feet tall – almost twice the height of the Statue of Liberty and nearly 100 feet higher than the current record holder, China ‘s Spring Temple Buddha
The Statue of Unity will dwarf the Statue of Liberty and will be nearly 100 feet higher than the current record holder, the Spring Temple Buddha
The statue is a mixture of concrete and steel framework for the core, covered by an exterior cladding of bronze.
Millions of tonnes of cement and steel have been shuttled to the site and recycled iron was used for the statue’s foundation.
Thousands of labourers and hundreds of engineers are working on the project, Gujarat’s Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said.
Along with a visitor’s centre, the Statue of Unity will have a viewing gallery at 501 feet, which can accommodate up to 200 visitors at a time, offering expansive views of the surrounding area.
Adjacent to the attraction will be a three-star 128-room hotel, with restaurant and conference facilities.
Pictured: A rendering of the Statue of Unity which will contain a visitor’s centre and a viewing gallery at 501 feet, which can accommodate up to 200 visitors at a time, offering expansive views of the surrounding area
Thousands of labourers and hundreds of engineers are working on the project, Gujarat’s Chief Minister Vijay Rupani (left) said. Millions of tonnes of cement and steel have been shuttled to the site and recycled iron was used for the foundation
The project will be a memorial to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (pictured relaxing at home in 1946) who was an Indian politician who played a pivotal role in India’s struggle for independence. The monument will ‘remind every individual of our great nation’s freedom struggle’ and to ‘inspire the people of our country to inculcate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s visionary ideologies of unity, patriotism, inclusive growth and good governance,’ the Statue of Unity website reads
Who was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel?
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Born in October 1875, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel played a pivotal role in India’s struggle for independence.
Patel united the 565 semi-autonomous states and British-era colonial provinces to form a united India.
The states were given the option of joining either India or Pakistan, or choosing independence.
Indian nationalists and large segments of the public feared that if these states did not agree, most of the people and territory would be fragmented.
Patel organised the people of Kheda, Borsad, and Bardoli in Gujarat in a non-violent civil disobedience movement against oppressive policies imposed by the British Raj.
He rose to the leadership of the Indian National Congress and was the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India.
Patel died on December 15, 1950.
The project was conceptualised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a memorial to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
It is intended to ‘remind every individual of our great nation’s freedom struggle’ and to ‘inspire the people of our country to inculcate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s visionary ideologies of unity, patriotism, inclusive growth and good governance,’ the Statue of Unity website reads.
‘This monument will not just be a mute memorial like the rest, but a fully functional, purpose-serving tribute that will spur all round socio-economic development, in the form of better connectivity, healthcare and education infrastructure, research centre for agriculture development and various tribal development initiatives.’
However, many have criticised the project for being a waste of money and some political parties have argued the expenditure for the statue should have gone towards other priorities like women’s safety, education and agricultural schemes.
Vishal Shah wrote on YouTube in response to a promotional video: ‘This is ridiculous project, what would we achieve from it?’
While Surya Vanka mused: ‘Besides being an enormous waste of resources, this is a rather tasteless and gaudy project.’
Construction workers move tonnes of cement and steel. The statue is a mixture of concrete and steel framework for the core, covered by an exterior cladding of bronze
Chinese workers finish for the day after working on the statue’s construction. Many have criticised the project for being a waste of money and some political parties have argued the expenditure for the statue should have gone towards other priorities like women’s safety, education and agricultural schemes
Gujarat’s Chief Minister Vijaybhai Rupani (centre) gestures next to Gujarat’s Deputy Chief Minister Nitinbhai Patel (left) during their visit to the Statue Of Unity in August