PICTURES: World's tallest statue - a tribute to Sardar Patel takes shape in India

This handout image received from the Gujarat Information Bureau on October 31, 2013, depicts the proposed 'Statue of Unity' of India's first home minister, Sardar Patel./ Image: AFP PHOTO/GUJARAT INFORMATION BUREAU

The 182m high statue when completed will leave behind the Spring Temple Buddha in China which is currently the world’s biggest statue at 128 metres. Image: AFP/ Sam PANTHAKY

In this picture taken on August 25, 2018, Gujarat's Chief Minister Vijaybhai Rupani poses in front of under construction Statue Of Unity. / Image: AFP PHOTO / SAM PANTHAKY

The statue of Patel, who was a hero of India’s independence struggle in Gujarat and India's first deputy prime minister, is proposed to be called the Statue of Unity. It will be inaugurated on October 31 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Image: AFP/ Sam PANTHAKY

The world’s tallest statue which is being built in India as a tribute to Sardar Vallabhai Patel is nearing its completion. It is located near Sardar Sarovar Dam near Vadodara in India's western Gujarat state. Image: AFP/ Sam PANTHAKY