Statue

Knowledge, Information and Experience

World’s Tallest Statues

420 Feet (128m) – Spring Temple Buddha (2002) Copper cast, Henan, China.

381 Feet (116m) – The Laykyun Setkyar (2008) Monywa, Myanmar/Burma.

360 Feet (110m) – Ushiku Daibutsu, Amitabha Buddha (1995) Ibaraki, Japan.

354 Feet (108m) – Guan Yin of the South Sea of Sanya (2005) Hainan, China.

348 Feet (106m) – Emperors Yan and Huang (2007) Henan province, China.

328 Feet (100m) – Sendai Daikannon (1991) Sendai, Japan.

325 Feet (99m) – Guishan Guanyin of Thousand Hands & Eyes (2009) China.

305 Feet (94m) – Peter the Great Statue (1997) Moscow. By Zurab Tsereteli.

305 Feet (93m) – Statue of Liberty (inc. plinth) (1886) New York Harbour.

279 Feet (85m) – The Motherland Calls (inc. plinth) (1967) Volgagrad.

Greatest Ancient Statues/Statuettes

– Lion Man of Hohlenstein Stadel (30,000 BCE) Ivory, Ulmer Museum, Ulm.

– Thinker of Cernavoda (5000 BCE) Terracotta, National Museum of Romania.

– Kneeling Bull with Vessel (c.3000) Silver, Metropolitan Museum, NY.

– Gold Bull of Maikop (2500) Gold, Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg.

– Ram in a Thicket (c.2500) Gold leaf, copper, lapis, lazuli, British Museum.

– Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-Daro (Indus Valley Civilization) (2000 BCE) Delhi.

– Statue of Akhenaten (c.1350) Sandstone, Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

– Winged Bull & Lion (859 BCE) Nimrud, see: Assyrian art (c.1500-612 BCE).

– Terracotta Army (246-208 BCE) Emperor Qin Shi’s Tomb, Shaanxi, China.

– Broighter Boat (1st century BCE) Gold, National Museum of Ireland.

– Giant Buddha (c.713-803 CE) Leshan, Sichuan province.

– Monolithic Moai of Easter Island (1200-1500 CE) Tuff.

Statue of Unity:

The Statue of Unity is a colossal statue of Congress Politician and independence activist Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1875–1950), who was the first Home minister of independent India and the chief adherent of Mahatma Gandhi during the non-violent Indian Independence movement. He was highly respected for his leadership in uniting the 552 princely states of India to form the single Union of India. It is located in the state of Gujarat, India. It is the world’s tallest statue with a height of 182 metres. It is located on a river island facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam on river Narmada in Kevadiya colony, 100 kilometres (62 mi) southeast of the city of Vadodara and 150 km from Surat.

The project was first announced in 2010 and the construction of the statue started in October 2013 by Larsen & Toubro, who received the contract for ₹2,989 crore (US$420 million) from Government of Gujarat. It was designed by Indian sculptor Ram V. Sutar, and was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 31 October 2018, the 143rd anniversary of Patel’s birth.

The statue is divided into five zones of which only three are accessible to the public. From its base to the level of Patel’s shins is the first zone which has three levels and includes an exhibition area, mezzanine and roof. Zone 1 contains a memorial garden and a museum. The second zone reaches up to Patel’s thighs, while the third extends up to the viewing gallery at 153 metres. Zone 4 is the maintenance area while the final zone comprises the head and shoulders of the statue.