India unveils the tallest statue in the world depicting 'Iron Man'
The world's tallest statue is being unveiled in the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The 'Statue of Unity' is double the size of the Statue of Liberty in New York standing 240 metres high.
It cost around £330m and used 700 tonnes of iron.
Built in a remote area of Gujarat, the base of the statue alone is 58 metres tall.
On the banks of the Narmada stands the majestic statue of a great man, who devoted his entire life towards nation building.
It was an absolute honour to dedicate the #StatueOfUnity to the nation.
We are grateful to Sardar Patel for all that he did for India. pic.twitter.com/q2F4uMRjoc— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 31, 2018
But the statue depicts will be unfamiliar to many outside the country. Sardar Patel - nicknamed, appropriately, 'Iron Man' - helped unify India's 500-odd princely states after independence.
Critics say the enormous statue is an unsubtle attempt by Modi's BJP party to reclaim an Indian national hero as the 'Iron Man' is normally associated with the opposition Congress Party.
