New 91-foot-tall Shivaji Maharaj statue was unveiled in Malvan nine months after the collapse

The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has been closed for nearly nine months after the collapse of Rajkot Fort on the coast of Sindhudurg, on the coast of Maharashtra. In August last year, less than eight months after its installation, the first 35-foot statue collapsed, causing widespread anger towards the government. The statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2023 at the Navy Day celebration. The collapse led to the arrest of its sculptor Jaydeep Apte.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said at the unveiling of the fortress in Malvan that adequate care has been taken so that the new statue will last for at least 100 years in any environment. Maintenance of the statue has been provided to those who built it. “The statue is 91 feet tall and has a 10-foot pedestal,” he said.
The contract for building the statue was awarded to Ram Sutar, the company of the renowned sculptor Ram Sutar and Anil Sutar, Ram Sutar Art Creations Pvt Ltd, which built the “Statue of Unity” in Gujarat. Fadnavis said it can withstand storms that are more intense than seen in the past. He said this is perhaps the largest statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the country. “After the unfortunate event (statue) incident, we decided that in any case we would build another large statue, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” Fadnavis said.

He said the land adjacent to the fortress would be acquired for better facilities. He said the statue was built by the famous sculptor Ram Sutar, who also built the statue of Solidar in Gujarat along with IIT engineers and head of the JJ Art Academy. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that after the statue collapsed in August 2024, the state government decided to build a similar statue and gave instructions accordingly.

The new statue depicts Shivaji Maharaj wielding a 29-foot sword. Shinde said it was PM Modi who launched the statue in December 2023. “Today, he (PM) is not here, but he is firmly standing behind the soldiers who protect the country. He is also doing some kind of Karya of Lord Shiva,” Shinde said.