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India is now home to the tallest statue in the world.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday presented the imposing Statue of Unity, which represents the so-called Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, on Wednesday.
The incredible status is twice as big as the Statue of Liberty – or almost four times bigger if one does not consider the Liberty Pedestal – and overlooks the Narmada River in the western state of Gujarat, where the leader of independence is born.
Before becoming the first Indian Deputy Prime Minister, Patel was inspired by the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, which led him to organize a non-violent movement of civil disobedience against British colonialism.
Amit Dave / Reuters This 600-foot statue in India is officially the tallest statue in the world, dethroning a 420-foot Buddha statue in China.
"Patel took on the task of forging a united India from the 565 semi-autonomous princely states and colonial provinces of the British era. Using candid diplomacy based on the option (and the use) of military action, Patel's leadership has allowed the accession of almost all princely states, "reads a site devoted to the statue and to Patel's life.
The statue is the first monument funded by the crowd in modern India, according to the website. The New York Times reports that it cost $ 400 million.
Standard evening The statue would have cost $ 400 million, thanks to private and public contributions.
The statue is made of iron from ancient agricultural supplies and soil from villages all over the country to "allow Indians from all walks of life to actively participate in the construction of this icon of national unity, in the widest possible way, "according to the Statue of Unity website.
Despite this goal, local tribal leaders opposed the statue and said they would boycott its dedication, citing the cost of the construction project and its use of natural resources.
"If Sardar Patel could see the massive destruction of natural resources and the injustice inflicted on us, he would cry," reads a letter to the prime minister by 22 local leaders, according to the Indian channel NDTV. "When we raise our problems, we are persecuted by the police. Why are not you ready to listen to our fate? "
Amit Dave / Reuters Balloons fly around the face of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel statue when it is officially dedicated.
The indignation did not seem to have much softened the Indian Prime Minister's mind.
"All Indians will be proud of the fact that the tallest statue in the world is now in India. Sardar Patel, the man tied to the earth, will now adorn the sky, Modi said Sunday. "I am sure that every Indian will be proud to speak to the world about this great achievement."
The gargantuan statue surpasses the Buddha statue of the Spring Temple over 120 meters in Lushan, China, as the tallest in the world.
The Statue of Unity, however, will probably not be long the title of the largest in the world.
India is building another statue off the coast of Mumbai, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, which will rise 69 meters into the sky. This statue will commemorate the warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who founded the Maratha Empire in the 17th century.
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