Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday laid the foundation stone for what is set to be the world's tallest statue, as its projected multi-million-dollar cost sparked criticism and an online petition against the project. The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji, a 17th-century Hindu ruler who fought the Muslim Mughal dynasty and carved out his own kingdom, will be more than twice the size of the Statue of Liberty and five times higher than Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.
The structure, a pet project of Hindu nationalist Modi, will rise 192 metres (630 feet) from an island off the western coast of Mumbai in the Arabian Sea.
When finished, it will tower over the 128-metre Spring Temple Buddha in China's Henan province that is currently the world's tallest statue.
"Even in the midst of struggle, Shivaji Maharaj remained a torchbearer of good governance," Modi said at the inaugural event.
"So many aspects of his personality inspire us."
The government of Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, is expected to spend some 36 billion rupees ($530 million) on the statue, which is scheduled for completion by 2019.
But the project has drawn brickbats from many people who instead want the government to devote its resources to infrastructure, education and development.
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