Ram Sutar designed 125ft Lachit statue in Jorhat

Guwahati: Eminent sculptor Ram V Sutar, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 100, shared a deep connection with Assam alongside his globally acclaimed creations such as the Statue of Unity.

Sutar designed the 125-ft “Statue of Valour” of Ahom general Lachit Borphukan at his birthplace at Holongapar in upper Assam’s Jorhat district, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year. He, however, did not live to witness the unveiling of his final work in the state — an 80-ft bronze statue of Assam’s first chief minister Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi which the Prime Minister is scheduled to inaugurate on Saturday.


The bronze statue of Lachit Borphukan stands 84 feet tall on a 41-foot pedestal at his historic maidam (burial site).

CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, while mourning his passing, wrote on X, “We were privileged to have him sculpt Lachit Barphukan’s grand statue and the soon-to-be unveiled statue of Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi in Guwahati. His personal involvement in breathing life into the statues of Assam’s heroes from two different eras showed his range of work and his exceptional craftsmanship. In his passing away the nation has truly lost an artist par excellence.”

Union shipping minister and former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, while mourning the demise of the legendary sculptor, wrote on X: “He carved India’s history into stone and bronze, giving us eternal symbols of our culture like the Statue of Unity.”

Meanwhile, saying that Sutar’s passing is profound loss to “Bharat’s artistic and cultural heritage”, cabinet minister Ashok Singhal said the legendary sculptor’s legacy lives on through the majestic statue of Ahom general Lachit Barphukan and the soon to be unveiled statue of Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi, monuments that reflect his mastery and devotion to national history.