The world is filled with a variety of tourist attractions, whether they’re statues, buildings, bodies of water, or more. Although these places are fun to visit and observe, they always hold significance and require space. An upcoming attraction is being constructed in India that is like no other.

ABC News published an article that India is planning to unveil the world’s largest statue on Oct. 31, 2018. This statue is in honor of Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel, also known as Sardar Patel, a man who united the country after receiving its independence. According to the multi-firm group building the statue, its given name will be “The Statue of Unity” and will stand at 597 feet. The monument has been in the making for three years in Gujarat and will consist of steel and bronze. The reveal date is set to be Patel’s birthday.

Patel was the first deputy prime minister of the country to fight for independence from colonial rule. India was apart of the British Empire until Aug. 15, 1947.

Throughout his life, Patel worked as a barrister, politician, activist and freedom fighter. He fought for the people and helped as much as he could and in return was met with praise. Unfortunately, Patel passed away at age 75 from a heart attack in 1950 and the reign of this freedom fighter came to an end, but his time was never forgotten.

Niles West alumn Nasko Pelinkaj has caught up on a few articles about the statue being built and thinks it’s a good statement to the city of Gujarat, India.

“Based on all the speculation, it seems like the sculpture is going to be an impressive feature of architecture,” Pelinkaj said. “If this is something that the people of the country support, then it should certainly be considered.”

Junior Alfred Joseph has been aware of the statue being built and is ecstatic to see how much it’s going to benefit his country. Joseph was born in India and immigrated to the states as a young child with his family.

“This is going to be such an amazing opportunity for India,” Joseph said. “The statue is going to give a strong economic boost with all of the tourism. I would like to go visit the statue next year since I go to India every other year. Gujarat is mostly flooded and poor, so I feel like this is going to help them gain economic power and build up the city.”

The development of this statue cost 2,989 crore rupees/$460 million US dollars. Narendra Modi, India’s current prime minister, has been encouring the idea of this sculpture to be built since 2014 when he was elected. Modi has always looked up to Patel’s sense of leadership and kindness.

There are only so many things we can keep up with in the world. Not everyone knows about the making of this statue, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t have recognition. Junior Jimmy Berg had not been informed about the statue, but he was impressed and glad that India is taking a big step to represent an inspirational figure of the past.

“To be honest, I had no idea that this statue has been in the process of being built. I don’t know too much about India’s history but I’m aware that Sardar Patel was a nationalist and fought for the people of India which is what will make this monument special. It represents a leader who tried to better his country as much as he could,” Berg said.

This statue is going to be a big deal for India and the entire world. This is going to be the largest monument on the planet. The citizens of India will have an extra attraction to go visit. The statue will represent the unity of the people in India who worked together to achieve their own freedom and rights. A reminder this big will be hard to miss by anyone visiting the city of Gujarat.