Following the state government making a provision of Rs 50 crore in its budget for the equestrian statue of Shivaji off Marine Drive, the state technical committee has shortlisted three architects from among the 11 firms competing for the project.

The technical committee is headed by CM Ashok Chavan, and the bids were submitted in December 2008. The shortlisted firms include Team One Architects, R G Patki Architects Pvt Ltd and Nitin Parulekar Architects Pvt Ltd. One of these will go on to bag the Rs 200-crore project to install a 309-ft high statue of the Maratha king a km into the sea.

The statue will be built on an artificially-created six-acre island, which will also house an amphitheatre, an exhibition gallery, museums, garden, food court and a library mostly centered around the life of the warrior king.

Describing his proposed design, Parish Kapse from Team One Architects said, “From the base of the island to the statue, everything is based on authentic traditional design in contemporary surrounding, comprising jetties, helipad and a state-of -the-art auditorium with proper acoustics. ”

Architect Nitin Parulekar said the design submitted by his firm stresses on the strength and valour of Shivaji and the expanse of his kingdom. “The peripherals have to gel with the image of the person who was known to be a strong leader and warrior. It’s a symmetrical design that celebrates space and provides for a dramatic aerial view.”

Akhil Bharatiya Maratha Mahasangh, a Marathi organisation, had written to the CM recently, opposing any move to include “Brahmanical” figures as part of the memorial.

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