Lucknow, Nov 3 The Uttar Pradesh government plans to install statues of prominent historical figures and leaders, including Maharana Pratap, Guru Gorakhnath and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, in 12 districts, Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said on Tuesday.
The state culture department is preparing pedestals for the statues, which are intended to familiarise the younger generation with the contributions of historical figures and inspire them, Singh said in a government statement.
“The statues will be installed in Lucknow, Agra, Gorakhpur, Shahjahanpur, Pratapgarh, Ghazipur, Gonda, Firozabad, Moradabad, Barabanki, Maharajganj and Varanasi,” he said.
A 12.5-foot equestrian bronze statue of Prithviraj Chauhan will be installed in Lucknow, while Agra will get a similar statue of Maharaja Surajmal.
Gorakhpur will have a 12.5-foot standing bronze statue of Guru Gorakhnath near its airport and Shahjahanpur will get an equestrian statue of Maharana Pratap at Bareilly Mod, he said.
Pratapgarh and Ghazipur will have 12.5-foot standing bronze statues of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Gonda will get a six-foot bronze statue of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, while Firozabad will have a three-foot bronze bust of martyr Captain Devesh Kumar Kulshreshtha in Machhan village, the minister said.
Moradabad and Varanasi will also get equestrian statues of Maharana Pratap. A statue earlier proposed for Rampur has been shifted to Barabanki, Singh said.
Maharajganj will have a six-foot white marble statue of Shibban Lal Saxena at Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial PG College, he added.
Singh said the department was coordinating with local representatives and district magistrates to complete the pedestal construction and install the statues soon.
(PTI News)
