Tallest Shiva statue in Rajasthan to be ready in August

The world's tallest statue of Lord Shiva, the fourth tallest statue in the world, in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, is just a few months away from completion.

The 351-foot statue at Ganesh Tekri, 50 km drive from Udaipur, would be ready by August, said Prakash Purohit, an official from the Miraj Group that is working on the project.

Around 750 workers have been working on the construction of the statue, started in 2012. Over 2,500 tonnes refined steel will be used in the construction.

Glazed with high quality copper, the 110-foot high pedestal is being constructed using pure zinc.

On completion of construction, three different galleries will be built at three levels -- 20 feet, 110 feet and 270 feet.

The area stretching to around 300 square feet around the statue will be beautified with a sprawling lush green garden.

India is home to the world's tallest statue - the Statue of Unity (597 feet). The second tallest statue is the Spring Temple Buddha in China (420 feet) and the third Laykyun Sekkya statue in Khatakan Taung, Myanmar (380 feet).

Some of the tallest Shiva statues in world are in Kailashnath temple in Nepal (143 feet), Murudeshwar temple in Karnataka (123 feet) and Aadiyog temple in Tamil Nadu (112 feet).

Nestled in the Aravalli Hills, Nathdwara is famous for Shrinathji temple, built in the 17th century by Maharana Raj Singh of Mewar.

Archana Sharma