World's tallest Ambedkar statue to be unveiled in Andhra Pradesh today. 5 points

The Andhra Pradesh government will unveil the world's tallest statue of BR Ambedkar, known as the architect of the Indian Constitution, today in Vijayawada. Standing 206 feet from the ground, the ‘Statue of Social Justice’ statue will be in the list of the top 50 tallest statues in the world, which Sardar Vallabhai Patel's ‘Statue of Unity’ tops. The second-tallest Ambedkar statue, which is 175 feet, is situated in neighbouring Telangana.

"The 206 feet Mahashilpam of Ambedkar erected by our government in Vijayawada is a symbol not only for the state but also for the country," Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Last year, the tallest Ambedkar statue outside India was unveiled in Maryland, US. Dubbed ‘Statue of Equality’, the statue is 19 feet tall and built by sculptor Ram Sutar, who also built the Sardar Patel's statue.

Also read: ‘Statue of Equality’: Tallest statue of Ambedkar outside India unveiled in US

Features of the ‘Statue of Justice’

1. The world's tallest Ambedkar statue stands 125-feet tall and stands on an 81-feet pedestal.
2. The project to build the statue incurred ₹404.35 crore and it is spread over 18.81 acres of land covered in a lush green park.
3. From sourcing raw materials to designing, the statue was built under a complete ‘Made in India’ project. Around 400 tonnes of steel went into making the ‘Satue of Justice’.
4. The area surrounding the statue, along with the Swaraj Maidan, where it was built, has been re-developed. Water bodies in the forecourt, three-sided peripheral water body for the pedestal and a musical water fountain were built in the area.
5. LED screens have been set up to display Ambedkar's life, a convention centre of 2,000 seating capacity, a food court of 8,000 sq ft along with children's playing area were also built at the site.