AP CM to Unveil Potti Sriramulu’s Statue of Sacrifice in Amaravati Today
The statue is in memory of Sriramulu’s historic 58-day fast-unto-death he undertook demanding a separate Andhra state for the Telugu people.
Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will unveil freedom fighter and Andhra icon Potti Sriramulu’s 58-foot bronze “Statue of Sacrifice” at the Amarajeevi Memorial Park in Tulluru of Capital Amaravati on Monday.
The statue is in memory of Sriramulu’s historic 58-day fast-unto-death he undertook demanding a separate Andhra state for the Telugu people.
The AP CM said Monday will mark commencement of year-long celebrations being organised by the NDA coalition government, marking the 125th birth anniversary of the revered martyr, whose selfless sacrifice led to formation of Andhra Pradesh, the first state to be formed in India on linguistic basis.
Naidu recalled that former chief minister late N.T. Rama Rao provided recognition to the martyr by naming Telugu University after Potti Sriramulu. Later, the Telugu Desam government named Nellore district as Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore district.
The Chief Minister maintained that Potti Sriramulu is not confined to one caste but is a representative of the entire Telugu community.
Naidu will formally unveil the statue on Monday. Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, minister Nara Lokesh and several other ministers will attend the ceremony.
The Statue of Sacrifice, being unveiled under the aegis of the Potti Sriramulu Memorial Trust, is part of a larger memorial park known as Smruti Vanam. The initiative seeks to remind future generations about the extraordinary dedication and self-sacrifice of the freedom fighter.
In a symbolic tribute, the statue’s height will be 58 feet, representing the 58-day fast-unto-death undertaken by Sriramulu. The massive bronze statue has been crafted by a team of artists from Bommaluru village in Krishna district.
The statue has a two-storeyed pedestal. Together with the base structure, the total height of the monument will be 110 feet, with the pedestal spanning an area of 17,000 square feet.
The ground floor of the structure will house a mini-theatre with seating for 100 people, a museum, and a library. These will provide visitors an opportunity to learn about Sriramulu’s life and the historic movement for Andhra’s statehood.
The statue will weigh approximately 100 tonnes, 30 tonnes of it being bronze. The massive structure will be supported by 70 tonnes of iron girders within the pedestal to ensure stability.
BC and EWS Welfare minister S. Savitha said the two-storeyed pedestal and the statue will be unveiled on Monday as part of the first phase. In the second phase, authorities plan to develop an auditorium with a seating capacity of 2,000, along with a landscaped park, transforming the memorial into a major cultural landmark of Amaravati.
