The Statue of Liberty, a gift to the United States by France, will soon be upstaged by an equestrian statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, off the coast of Mumbai. The height of the latest tribute to the Maratha king will be 309 feet, making it taller than the Statue of Liberty, which is 305 feet from the pedestal to the top of the flaming torch.
The Maharashtra Cabinet on Tuesday approved a design submitted by Bensley Design Studios, Thailand and Team One Architects, Mumbai.
The government has approved Rs. 50 crore for the memorial in 2009-10 and budgeted Rs. 300 crore more the next year. There will be a museum on the Maratha king.
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The government had announced a worldwide competition to create a design for the memorial and had decided to give away prizes to the top three ideas. Eleven firms submitted designs.