MALVAN, 11 MAY 

Nearly nine months after the collapse of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district, a grand new 91-foot statue was unveiled on Sunday. The previous 35-foot statue, which had been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Navy Day celebrations on 4 December, 2023, fell in August, 2024, prompting public outrage and the arrest of its sculptor, Jaydeep Apte.  

At the unveiling ceremony, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured attendees that extensive measures have been taken to ensure the new statue's durability for at least a century, regardless of environmental conditions. "The statue stands 91 feet tall on a 10-foot pedestal," he stated, adding that maintenance would be managed by the builders.  

Fadnavis highlighted the expertise of renowned sculptor Ram Sutar and his firm, Ram Sutar Art Creations Pvt Ltd, which is also responsible for the Statue of Unity in Gujarat. He expressed confidence that the new statue could withstand storms of greater intensity than those previously experienced.  

"This is perhaps the biggest statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the country," Fadnavis remarked, reaffirming the government’s commitment to fulfilling their promise of erecting a grand representation of the warrior king following the unfortunate incident of the previous statue's collapse.  

The new statue depicts Shivaji Maharaj wielding a 29-foot long sword. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde noted that the state government had swiftly resolved to create a replacement following the collapse.