Eight months after collapse, new Shivaji statue inaugurated by CM Fadnavis
Eight months after the collapse of a 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Maharashtra government on Sunday unveiled a new 91-foot bronze statue at Rajkot Fort in Malvan town, located in the coastal Sindhudurg district. The statue was inaugurated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The earlier statue, which was 35 feet tall, had collapsed in August 2024 amid heavy rain and strong winds, just seven months after it was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2023, sparking a political controversy in the state.
'After the unfortunate incident last year, our government had resolved that the new statue will be built in a record time and we have done that. The climate in Konkan region has experienced several different types of cyclones. The statue has been built studying the intensity of those cyclones and this statue has been built to withstand the wind speed equal or greater than those cyclones,' Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.
Fadnavis also congratulated sculptor Ram Sutar, designers from the J.J. School of Art, and engineers from IIT for completing the project swiftly and successfully.
'This statue is 91-feet in height which has around 10 feet pedestal. I have been told that this is possibly the tallest statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,' said the CM, adding that the statue has been engineered to last at least 100 years in any climate.
The statue's maintenance for the next ten years will be handled by the firm that constructed it. Following the collapse in August 2024, the state Public Works Department (PWD) floated a tender to construct a new statue at an estimated cost of Rs 20 crore. The tender included design, engineering, procurement, construction, erection, operation, and maintenance responsibilities.
The PWD received bids from two firms: Garnet Interiors, which quoted ₹20.90 crore, and Ram Sutar Art Creations Pvt Ltd, which quoted Rs 36.05 crore. The contract was ultimately awarded to Ram Sutar's firm after it agreed to match the lower bid. A formal work order was subsequently issued.
Ram Sutar Art Creations Pvt Ltd is led by renowned sculptor and Padma Shri awardee Ram V. Sutar and his son Anil R. Sutar, a professional architect and sculptor. Ram Sutar is also the designer of the Statue of Unity, the world's tallest statue at 182 meters, depicting Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Following the collapse of the original statue after heavy rainfall, both the sculptor and the structural consultant were arrested. In November 2024, the Bombay High Court granted bail to structural consultant Chetan Patil, who had been taken into custody after the incident. In January 2025, sculptor Jaydeep Apte was also granted bail in connection with the case.
The incident triggered a major political uproar ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections. Leaders from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) strongly criticized the BJP-led central and state governments, alleging corruption in the statue's construction and the contract-awarding process.
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