The world’s largest £330 million statue partly funded by British taxpayers

There are approximately 12,000 bronze panels covering India's Statue of Unity. (Image: Getty)

The world's largest statue, which stands nearly 600 feet tall, is located on Sadhu Bet Island in the Narmada River in the town of Kevadia, Gujarat, India.

When first unveiled in 2010, it was condemned as an expensive vanity project. In the 56 months it took to construct the £330 million Statue of Unity, UK taxpayers gave India £1.17 billion in foreign aid, according to official figures cited by the Daily Mail. The mammoth engineering project started in 2012, when British taxpayers donated almost £300 million to India. In 2013 a further £268 million was given, in 2014 the figure was £278 million, and in 2015 it was £185 million, followed by smaller amounts after that. Nearly twice as high as the Statue of Liberty, the statue depicts Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and a key figure in the country’s independence movement.

British aid money was also spent on projects ranging from improving women’s rights to funding solar panels and investment in low-carbon transport.

Some £14,000 of the cash was spent in Gujarat in 2014, when the statue’s foundations were being laid, to "increase religious tolerance among young people", according to the outlet.

The statue was designed by Indian sculptor Ram V. Sutar, who was 93 years old at the time of its inauguration in October 2018. The project involved collaboration with over 250 engineers and 3,400 workers.

Built to withstand strong winds at 180km/h, the statue’s construction took 2,500,000 cubic feet of concrete, 5,700 tonnes of steel structure and 18,500 tonnes of reinforced steel rods.

To make way for the monument and its surrounding complex, land was acquired from 72 surrounding villages home to tribal communities.

Though the government claimed compensation and rehabilitation packages were provided, activists and local tribal leaders have repeatedly raised concerns about forced displacement and lack of adequate support.

The tourist hub now features a museum and audio-visual gallery, an observation deck, a laser light and sound show, and a Valley of Flowers nearby.