India unveils world's tallest statue, twice the size of New York's Statue of Liberty

nbcnews.com - The tallest statue in the world, honoring India's first deputy prime minister and twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty, was unveiledWednesday.

The 597-foot steel and bronze "Statue of Unity," erected in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat, depicts Vallabhbhai Patel, who played a part in unifying the country and leading it to independence.

Funds for the $400-million effigy, which used 7,416,080 cubic feet of cement, 25,000 tons of steel and 1,700 tons of bronze, came from the federal government, state-run companies and other institutions.

Modi ordered the statue built when he was Gujarat chief minister. It took 33 months to build.