World’s tallest statue unveiled in India and is twice the size of the Statue of Liberty

The world’s tallest statue has been unveiled in the Gujarat state of India.

The statue is 182m tall and was unveiled on World Unity Day as a tribute to Indian independence leader, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and cost 29.9bn rupees (€360 million) to build. Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially opened the tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel saying that the ‘Statue of Unity’ would serve as a major tourist attraction and that it was “a symbol of India’s integrity and resolve.” The unveiling was accompanied by an air force jet flyover, helicopters showering flowers on the statue and fireworks in the green, orange and white national colours.

Online booking has already begun to visit the Statue of Unity, with admission to the observation deck costing 350 rupees (€4.17).

Glimpses of the ‘Statue of Unity’ that will be dedicated to the nation shortly. pic.twitter.com/UWVYhizMn8

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 31, 2018

The statue is twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty in New York and beats the Spring Temple Buddha in China which was previously the tallest building in the world. The Gujarat government is said to have funded half of the finance needed for the memorial, with the other half coming from the federal government and donations.

It will only remain the tallest statue in the world for a short term, however, as the government in the western state of Maharashtra is constructing a memorial to the Maratha warrior king Shivaji that is estimated to be 212m in height when completed.

However, the revealing was met with outcry and protests amongst local groups at the cost of the construction. Local farmers are demanding compensation for land that they say has been taken by the government for the memorial. Over 5,000 police guarded the construction, which has taken over 4 years to build and employed over 3,500 workers.

Picture: @PMOIndia Twitter