india

Updated: Nov 04, 2018 09:20 IST

Ahead of chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s visit to Ayodhya on November 6, the state government has initiated steps to select the architect and the design consultant for the ‘world’s tallest statue’ of Lord Ram, which will be installed on the bank of the River Saryu in the temple town, an official said.

“The tender for selecting the architect and design consultant was floated and the shortlisted firms gave a presentation before the chief minister. Some changes were suggested and a fresh presentation will be made for the final selection,” said a senior official of the Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam (UPRNN), who did not wish to be named. He said once the architect was finalised, the construction agency will be selected in the next step.

The official said the statue will be 151-metre-tall and the pedestal below it will be 50 metre high, making the entire structure 201 metre in height.

“This statue will be the tallest among idols of deities in India,” said Prof Pandeya Rajivanayan of the department of fine arts at the Dr Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University, Lucknow.

He said idols of deities were usually not more than 50 metres in height. The Paritala Anjaneya Temple, 30 km from Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh, has a 41-metre tall statue of Lord Hanuman and the one coming up in Madapam is 176 feet tall (little over 53 metres).

The Saryu river front, where the statue is planned, too will be developed to boost tourism. The announcement is likely to be made during the Deepotsav festivities to be organised in the coming week when the chief minister is likely to visit Ayodhya.

South Korean first lady Kim Jung-sook will be the chief guest at the Deepotsav event in Ayodhya on November 6. The Ayodhya visit will be part of her India tour from November 4-7.

For its part, the UP Rajkiya Nirman Nigam had floated the tender on September 25, inviting expression of interests from the firms for making a detailed project report on ‘Saryu River front development and construction of Shri Ram Statue at Ayodhya UP’. The estimated cost of the project is ?775 crore approximately.

In all, five firms have been shortlisted for the design work. These firms are from Kochi, Greater Noida and Lucknow. The UP chief minister visited Gujarat on Friday and saw the Statue of Unity, which is the world’s tallest statue at present. A few officials of the UPRNN also went there with him.