India begins building world's tallest statue at cost of $530 m

The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji is a pet project of Hindu nationalist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C).-AFP

New Delhi (AFP) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday laid the foundation stone for what is set to be the world's tallest statue, as its projected multi-million-dollar cost sparked criticism and an online petition against the project.

The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji, a 17th-century Hindu ruler who fought the Muslim Mughal dynasty and carved out his own kingdom, will be more than twice the size of the Statue of Liberty and five times higher than Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.