The world's tallest statue will be unveiled on Wednesday in India's western Gujarat state, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Standing at 182 meters, the "Statue of Unity" is double the size of the Statue of Liberty in New York, and cost 29.79 billion rupees (404 million US dollars).
The Spring Temple Buddha in China is currently the world's biggest statue at 128 meters.
The Indian statue is a tribute to freedom icon Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 143rd birth anniversary.?
Known as the "iron man" of India, he helped unify India's 500-plus princely states after independence.
The core of the statue consists of reinforced concrete, but its surface has been created with 553 bronze panels, each with 10 to 15 micro panels. According to the Times of India, the project uses 70,000 metric tonnes of cement.
More than 2,500 workers have worked on the statue, with several hundred migrant laborers from China also involved.
