AJIT SOLANKI/AP The Statue of Unity is a tribute to Indian freedom fighter Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. "This memorial to Sardar [Patel] is going to become a worldwide tourist attraction," boasted Modi in a promotional video in Hindi about the statue. It will stand at 597 feet (181.9m), or 177 feet (54m) higher than the current world's tallest statue, China's Spring Temple Buddha in the central Henan province. Ironically, the bronze cladding for the Patel statue was shipped from China because Indian foundries lack the expertise and equipment to go this big. The Statue of Unity is a near-replica of a Patel statue at an airport in the nearby Gujarat city of Ahmedabad.

Source: Stuff October 29, 2018 22:07 UTC