Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh government will install a 221-metre bronze statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh principal secretary (Information) Avanish Awasthi said on Saturday.
While the height of the actual statue would be 151 metres, its overhead umbrella would be 20 metres while the pedestal would be 50 metres, he said.
A museum would be housed at the pedestal, Awasthi said.
Five firms shortlisted for construction of the statue gave presentations before Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath this week, the officer said, adding that soil testing is being done for installing the statue.
Also Read: The Statue of Unity Cost Rs 2,989 Crore. Here’s What Else That Money Could Have Bought
On October 31, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated an imposing 182-metre ‘Statue of Unity’ of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the country’s first home minister, in Gujarat, amidst widespread protests from farmers and tribal groups, who were protesting the inadequate government expenditure on essentials like rehabilitation and farmer dues.
The expensive project to build a statue was viewed as an attempt by the BJP to appropriate the legacy of Sardar Patel as a counterpoint to that of Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi.
(With inputs from PTI)