Shiv Smarak

Shiv Smarak
शिव स्मारक
Location Arabian Sea, Mumbai, India
Designer Ram V. Sutar
Type Statue
Material Steel framing, reinforced concrete
Height 210 meters
Beginning date 24 December 2016 (2016-12-24)
Dedicated to Shivaji Maharaj

The Shiv Smarak[1][2] or the Shivaji Memorial is a monument under construction to honor the 17th century Indian warrior king and founder of the Maratha Empire, Chatrapati Shivaji. The statue will be located in the Arabian Sea, near the coast of Mumbai city in the Indian state Maharastra.[3] The statue will be located facing Mumbai, 1.5 km away on a manmade island of rocks; it will be 210 meters (690 feet) in height, 270 meters tall including its base, and would be the world's tallest statue when completed. The project area is planned to be spread over 130,000 square meters, and the statue will be surrounded by a theater, food court, and library. It is expected to be completed in 2019. Initially the total cost of the project is estimated to be about ₹4000 crore (US$ 626 million) by the government. The foundation of the statue was placed on 24 December 2016 by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.[4]

Project

The memorial is dedicated to Shivaji Maharaj.

Shivaji is considered as a national hero in India, especially in the state of Maharashtra, where he remains arguably the greatest figure in the state's history. The monument statue of Shivaji will be constructed facing Mumbai’s Girgaum Chowpatty beach 1.5 km away in the mid Arabian Sea. The total height of the statue from its base will be 240 meters, consisting of a base level of 77 meters and statue of 210 meters.[5] It will be constructed on rocks around it. In the first phase, a bridge will connect the memorial to the main land; eventually the project will include visitor centre buildings, a memorial garden, a library, food court, and convention centre with approximately 10,000 footfall space.[6]

Work on the memorial will be done in two phases. The memorial will have a museum, exhibition gallery, amphitheater, helipad, and hospital. The memorial will showcase replicas of Shivaji forts. Volunteer have collected water from various rivers in the state and soil from forts of Shivaji Maharaj for the foundation-stone laying ceremony on 24 December 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Egis in India has been appointed the Project Management Consultant.[7] Egis in India is the local arm of the France based Egis group.[8]

Controversy

The cost of ₹4000 crore for this Memorial has created controversy with various groups calling it a "waste of money" and citing environmental problems.[9]

This Memorial would cause immense harm to a vibrant marine ecosystem and ecology of the Arabian Sea according to environmentalists. The Koli fishing community, Mumbai's original inhabitants, also fear that they will lose their livelihood due to death of fish.[10][9]

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray had also suggested that the money could be better utilised for the development and maintenance of the scores of forts and palaces in Maharashtra, many built during the reign of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.[10]

Thousands of people had signed a Change.org petition asking that the government to spend the money on infrastructure and development instead. "Apart from a waste of money, this statue is going to be terrible for the environment, for the traffic situation in South Bombay and a security nightmare," the petition said.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Shivaji statue: India is about to spend over $500 million on a statue in the middle of the Arabian sea". Qz.com. 2016-12-23. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  2. ↑ "Narendra Modi performs 'bhoomipujan' of Shivaji statue". M.economictimes.com. 2016-12-24. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  3. ↑ "Shivaji Memorial in the Arabian Sea: Statue to tower on green foundation". The Indian Express. 2016-12-24. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  4. ↑ Dr Uday S Kulkarni (2016-12-24). "A memorial in the sea | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". Dnaindia.com. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  5. ↑ Keshav Kumar (2016-12-24). "मुंबई: अरब सागर में बनेगा शिवाजी का सबसे ऊंचा स्मारक, आज नींव रखेंगे पीएम मोदी". Hindi.pradesh18.com. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  6. ↑ "Shiv Smarak in Mumbai: PM Narendra Modi to perform bhoomi pooja for Shivaji statue tomorrow". Economictimes.indiatimes.com. 2016-12-23. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  7. ↑ "EGIS India to help plan Shivaji memorial". Hindustan Times. 2016-02-25. Retrieved 2016-12-24.
  8. ↑ "Our Management". Egis group. 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2016-12-24.
  9. 1 2 "Why Shivaji statue is the best thing to happen to Maharashtra". www.dailyo.in. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
  10. 1 2 3 "Maharashtra's Shivaji Memorial Grows Taller To Top Buddha Statue In China". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
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