There is a 27-foot tall Jalakanyaka (mermaid) at the park in Kollam Beach dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. map
It is located only about 40 miles from the giant mermaid statue on Shankumugham Beach, and is most likely the second-largest mermaid sculpture in the world. It was planned in 2000 and the sculptor Shanthanu was commissioned to create it, commencing in 2003. Citing a lack of funds Shanthanu stopped work, and the statue was completed in 2005 by Vijayan V. Chavara, and unveiled on August 2, 2005.
The story is that the mermaid is melancholically looking out to sea after having been cursed to live on land due to falling in love with a sailor. India seems to have a penchant for large mermaid sculptures. The three biggest mermaid statues I know of are all in India:
- The Kollam Beach mermaid statue (this one)
- The Shankumugham Beach mermaid statue
- The Visakhapatnam Beach Mermaid statues in Surf
References:
● http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kollam_Beach
● http://www.thehindu.com/2005/08/01/stories/2005080101000200.htm
● The Mermaids of Earth coffee-table book: See page 176 in the book about this sculpture.
