India inaugurates world’s tallest statue

The structure is the world's tallest statue, nearly twice the height of New York’s Statue of Liberty. The previous record holder was the Spring Temple Buddha in China, which is 128 metre tall.

The 182 metre-tall-bronze Statue of Unity weighs about 67,000 tonnes and has been built to withstand major earthquakes as well as heavy winds.

It cost an estimated USD420 million and has been under construction for four years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially opened the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel describing the completion of his pet project as “a day that will be remembered in the history of India.”

“Patel wanted India to be a forceful, strong, sensitive, vigilant and accommodative nation, and we’re working toward that,” Narendra Modi said at the ceremony./.