Jayalalithaa announces plan for Rs.100 crore statue

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Tuesday announced her government's decision to install a mega statue of Tamil Thai (Mother Tamil) in Madurai at an outlay of Rs.100 crore.

Announcing this in the assembly, Jayalalithaa said: "The Tamil Thai statue will be built in a way that would showcase to the world the Tamil civilisation, culture, literary treasures and architectural prowess."

She said Tamil Thai park will have five types of lands - Kurunji (mountain land), Mullai (forest land), Marutham (cultivated land), Naithal (beach) and Palai (desert) - and plants mentioned in ancient Tamil literature.

The Tamil Thai statue will be the second mega statue in the state. In 2000, the 133-foot statue of poet Thiruvalluvar was installed on an island near Kanyakumari.