Shiv Smarak

Shiv Smarak
शिव स्मारक
Coordinates 18°55′39″N 72°47′28″E / 18.9274°N 72.7910°E / 18.9274; 72.7910
Location Arabian Sea, Mumbai, India
Designer Ram V. Sutar
Type Statue
Material Steel framing, reinforced concrete
Height 212 metres (696 ft)[1]
Beginning date 24 December 2016 (2016-12-24)
Opening date 2021 (planned)
Dedicated to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
Website Official website
Proposed location of Shiv Smarak in Back Bay

The Shiv Smarak or the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial is an under-construction monument dedicated to Shivaji, the 17th century Indian warrior king and founder of the Maratha Empire. The statue will be located in the Arabian Sea, near the coast of Mumbai city in the Indian state Maharashtra.[2]

Specifications

The statue will be located facing Mumbai’s Girgaum Chowpatty beach, 1.5 km away on a manmade island of rocks.[3] The statue will be 126 meters (413 ft) in height, placed on top of a 84 m (276 ft) pedestal,[4] making the total height of the monument 212 m (696 ft).[5] The project area is planned to be spread over 130,000 square meters. It is expected to be completed in 2021. Initially the total cost of the project was estimated to be about ₹4,000 crore (US$560 million), but cost-reduction measures have resulted in a contract worth ₹2,800 crore (US$390 million).[4][6]

The completed vision of the project will include visitor centre buildings, a memorial garden, a library, food court, and convention centre with approximately 10,000 footfall space.[7] The memorial will also have a museum, exhibition gallery, amphitheater, helipad, and hospital. The memorial will showcase replicas of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's forts.

Status

The memorial will be dedicated to Shivaji.

Volunteers have collected water from various rivers in the state and soil from forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj for the foundation-stone laying ceremony on 24 December 2016 by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[8][9]

Egis in India has been appointed the Project Management Consultant.[10] Egis in India is the local arm of the France-based Egis group.[11]

Initial plans for the project called for the foundation to be built from reclaimed basalt and rubble from the Colaba–SEEPZ metro tunnel.[2] However, due to delays associated with the monument, the rubble is no longer reserved for the monument, and is being transported to quarries for storage.[12]

On 1 March, 2018, a Letter of Acceptance was issued to the contracting firm Larsen & Toubro.[6]

Controversy

This Memorial would cause harm to the marine ecosystem and ecology of the Arabian Sea, according to environmentalists. The Koli fishing community also fear that they will lose their livelihood.[13]

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray had also suggested that the money could be better utilized for the development and maintenance of the forts and palaces in Maharashtra, many built during the reign of Shivaji.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Fadnavis govt retains Shivaji's statue as world's tallest, increases height after China's Buddha statue competes". India Today. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Shivaji Memorial in the Arabian Sea: Statue to tower on green foundation". The Indian Express. 2016-12-24. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  3. ↑ "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj 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.
  4. 1 2 India, Press Trust of (7 March 2018). "Maha govt reduced Shivaji statue height to 126 metres: Chavan". Business Standard India. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  5. ↑ Safi, Michael (14 September 2018). "India to break record for world's largest statue … twice". the Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Cost cutting: For Shivaji memorial, Maharashtra makes sculpture shorter, sword taller". The Indian Express. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  7. ↑ "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.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ "Narendra Modi performs 'bhoomipujan' of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue". M.economictimes.com. 2016-12-24. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  10. ↑ "EGIS India to help plan Shivaji memorial". Hindustan Times. 2016-02-25. Retrieved 2016-12-24.
  11. ↑ "Our Management". Egis group. 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2016-12-24.
  12. ↑ Chacko, Benita (April 1, 2017). "Shivaji memorial: Mumbai Metro 3 rubble unlikely to be used". The Indian Express. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  13. 1 2 "Maharashtra's Shivaji Memorial Grows Taller To Top Buddha Statue In China". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
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