Yogi Adityanath clears 221 meter tall Ram statue in Ayodhya

Lucknow, Nov 25: A day before the scheduled Dharma Sabha in Ayodhya for construction of the Ram Temple, the Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday unveiled the picture of Ram statue it plans to build on the banks of the Saryu river.

The figure of Lord Ram itself will measure 151 metres, the pedestal 50 metres, and the "chattra" over his head 20 metres, taking the total height of the statue to be 221 metres, additional chief secretary (information) Avaneesh Kumar Awasthi said.

The new statue while being just 19 meters short of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's statue at Sardar Sarovar Dam, it will outsize the Statue of Liberty in the United States.

The state government had hinted about the construction of the statue during Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya. On the lines of the Statue of Unity, the Ram statue will also have a museum that will showcase the history, culture and the dynasty of Ram, the government said in a statement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had on October 31, inaugurated an imposing 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the country's first home minister, in Gujarat.

At 182 metres, the Statue of Unity -- made in the image of freedom fighter Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel -- is currently the world's tallest statue. It was built at a cost of Rs. 2,989 crore on a river island facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam.