Andhra Pradesh CM unveils 206 feet tall Ambedkar statue in Vijayawada

Andhra Pradesh CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy unveiled the 206 feet tall statue of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar at Swaraj Maidan in Vijayawada on 19 January 2024. The world's tallest statue of BR Ambedkar is in Vijayawada.

• Ambedkar's 206 feet Mahashilapam, built by the Andhra Pradesh government in Vijayawada, is a symbol not only for the state but also for the country.

Among the top 50 tallest statues in the world:

• The world's tallest statue of Dr. Ambedkar unveiled in Vijayawada has been named 'Statue of Social Justice'. It will be included in the list of top 50 tallest statues in the world.
• Earlier, the 175 feet tall statue of Ambedkar located in Telangana was considered the largest.

Features of Statue of Social Justice:

• This is the world's tallest statue of Dr. Ambedkar (206 feet from ground). In this, the height of the statue is 125 feet while the height of the pedestal is 81 feet.
• The dazzling statue is made of bronze, and the pedestal features Kala Chakra Maha Mandala Buddhist architecture, making it appealing in its sky-high posture.
• This statue has been installed in a campus of 18.81 acres. The expenditure incurred to build it is Rs 404.35 crore.
• The construction of this statue has been completely done under the Made in India project. It is constructed using approximately 400 tons of steel.

Largest statue of Ambedkar outside India:

• The tallest statue of Dr. Ambedkar outside India is in Washington, America. It was unveiled last year in 2023, which was named 'Statue of Equality'.
• This statue is 19 feet high and has been created by sculptor Ram Sutar. Ram Sutar had also made the statue of Sardar Patel.

About Dr. Ambedkar:

• Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar was born on 14 April 1891 in a Mahar family in Mhow district of Madhya Pradesh. The Mahar caste was considered untouchable at that time. Baba Saheb's father was in the army and used to stay here for his job. His ancestors were from Ambadave village in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra.
• In 1906, Bhimrao Ambedkar's first marriage took place with Ramabai. Ramabai helped him a lot in his studies. Both had 5 children. Ramabai died on 27 May 1935 after a prolonged illness.
• Born on 27 January 1909, Sharda (born Savita Ambedkar after her marriage to Bhimrao) belonged to a middle-class Saraswat Brahmin family. Her father held the position of Registrar at the Indian Medical Council. Sharda obtained her MBBS degree from Mumbai in 1937. At that time it was a big thing for a girl to become a doctor.