Hyderabad: The Telangana government is looking East as it enters the market for giant statues – above 200 feet in height. A Telangana state government-constituted sub-committee, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari, is all set to leave for China on December 3 to study the manufacturing and installation of such statues.
Chinese firms – experts in the manufacturing of tall, bronze figures — are currently engaged in the making of giant statues of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel and Saint Ramanuja-charya that have been ordered by the Gujarat government and Ramanujacharya Trust of Hyderabad, respectively.
The team from Telangana though was constituted primarily to study how the installation of two 125-foot tall statues – a B.R. Ambedkar statue at NTR Gardens near Necklace Road, and a Lord Hanuman statue at the entrance of Yadadri temple – could be installed.
China has been making bronze statues for years. In fact, the country has over 1,000 bronze statues of Buddha spread across its provinces, including one that’s 600 feet tall.
“We have not yet decided anything about a contract to any particular Chinese firm. We are going for a study tour. We will first study the process and will then call for global tenders,” Mr Srihari said.
But the city-based Ramanujacharya Trust, headed by Construction giant My Home’s J. Rameswara Rao, has already asked a Chinese firm to make a 216-foot tall statue of Ramanuja, which will be installed in 2017 on the eve of the saint’s millennial birth anniversary celebrations.
“India’s expertise in making bronze statues is very limited. China is famous for such statues. It will cost Rs 300 crore for a single statue. The statue will be split in 1,000 pieces, shipped and reassembled at the site near Shamshabad. It is really going to be a grand event next year,” Mr Rameswara Rao said.
