At 182m, a world leader you can look up to
IT stands at nearly twice the height of the Statue of Liberty and towers over the Spire in Dublin.
Dwarfing the workmen scurrying around on its sandalled feet, this is the world’s tallest statue – a skyscraping 182m.
The €360million Statue of Unity depicts statesman Sardar Patel, who played a key role in unifying India after independence in 1947.
It has been built in a remote corner of Gujarat state, a construction project that has taken 3,000 workers nearly four years.
The statue required 5,700 tons of structural steel, 18,500 tons of steel rods, 22,500 tons of bronze sheets, and millions of tons of cement.
An observation deck at chest level can hold up to 200 visitors at a time. Officials expect it to bring in 15,000 tourists a day, and its creators say it has been designed to withstand gale-force winds and earthquakes. It trumps the 153m Spring Temple Buddha in China, formerly the world’s tallest.
The Statue of Unity is a flagship project of India’s prime minister Narendra Modi, who is due to unveil it tomorrow. However, he has been warned to stay away by angry locals who have complained about damage to the environment and the vast sums spent on the statue when the area does not have enough schools and hospitals.