The world’s tallest statue – Statue of Unity – a monument to the leader of the Indian national liberation movement Sardar Villabhai Patel was inaugurated by Indian PM Narendra Modi. The opening ceremony of the world’s tallest statue – Statue of Unity, was widely covered by all Indian TV channels, was held in the state of Gujarat. India is in a race to construct more statues and after the Statue of Unity, bigger and taller are to be followed.
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The statue was officially named the Statue of Unity, its height was 182 meters, and the total height of the building with a pedestal – 240 meters. This statue is almost four times higher than the Statue of Liberty in New York (its height is 46 meters, and together with the pedestal – 93 meters). The main architect of the project was the famous Indian sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar.
Designing the monument took 13 months, and construction took 33 months. Inside the statue, there are two elevators. At an altitude of about 150 meters, a viewing gallery is equipped, capable of simultaneously receiving 200 tourists. At the foot of the monument opened a museum dedicated to politics.
On the whole, 210 thousand cubic meters of concrete, 18.5 thousand tons of steel structures, including 6.5 thousand tons of reinforcing steel, were used for the construction of the statue and pedestal of Patel. The statue is able to withstand hurricane wind speeds of up to 180 km / h and an earthquake of magnitude up to 6.5.
Patel and Nehru
Patel was considered one of the main contenders for the post of first prime minister of an independent India, which was eventually handed over to Jawaharlal Nehru. Patel then received the post of Home Minister and did much to maintain the unity of the country during the difficult period after independence.
More Statues To Come
Recently, India has become an active participant in the race for the highest statues. In December 2016, Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone for the construction of an even higher statue in the state of Maharashtra. It will be a monument to the national hero Chhatrapati Shivaji, who in the 17th century fought the Mughul empire in India to protect the oppressed Indians.
Shivaji, as planned, will be seated on a horse with a sword in hand, the height of the statue itself will exceed 190 meters, which will make it the highest on the planet. How much will be the height of the monument, along with a pedestal, is still unknown.
In 2019, it is planned to open the statue of the famous Hindu philosopher and preacher Ramanuja in the area of the city of Hyderabad in the state of Telangana. The monument is almost ready, now there are finishing works. The statue will be the second tallest (about 66 meters) in the world monument to a sitting man – only the statue of the seated Great Buddha in Thailand (92 meters) will remain above.
In addition, the construction of a statue of Bhimrao Ambedkar, one of the main authors of the Indian constitution and a fighter for the rights of the untouchables, is planned in the metropolis of Mumbai. It is planned that the statue will also be one of the highest in the world – 110 meters.
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