Mumbai is planning to build a towering monument to a beloved warrior-king that is taller than the Statue of Liberty - but, if initial reaction is any gauge, the memorial may not be a crowd-pleaser.

The government of Maharashtra state, where Mumbai is located, this week cleared plans for the 309-foot (94 meter) statue of the 17th century Hindu ruler Shivaji, famed in these parts for fighting off India's Muslim Mogul rulers, who reigned over much of the subcontinent's north before the arrival of British colonizers.

The bronze statue would memorialize Shivaji astride a horse and brandishing a sword. It would be located on an island about a mile (1.5 kilometers) off downtown Mumbai's posh Marine Drive. And with its pedestal, it would stand 4 feet (1.2 meters) taller than New York's Statue of Liberty.

But such grandiosity does not come cheap - the statue, along with an adjacent museum and garden is projected to cost about 1 billion rupees (US$25 million).

"The Shivaji statue will be a new Mumbai landmark," Thanksy Thekkekara, a top Maharashtra official.

"There are plans for cafes and a sound-and-light show about Shivaji," she said, adding that tourists would be ferried in boats to the planned island. Authorities are planning to start construction in four months, after the annual monsoon rains end, she said.

That is also months before Maharashtra is supposed to hold elections - a fact that hasn't been missed by critics, who argue the statue will be a showpiece for the state government, run by the Congress party, which also governs nationally.

"This is a statue that every political party wants to build," said Aroon Tikekar, a writer and commentator who lives in Mumbai. "I personally have had enough of statues. We build statues and then can't take care of them."

The Congress Party has in recent months lost a number of state elections to right-wing, Hindu nationalists, and the Shivaji statue could boost Congress' bonafides in a part of India where regional pride runs strong.

Congress party activists Thursday attacked the home of a newspaper editor who criticized the project.

The statue would not be the only monument in Mumbai to Shivaji, a regional ruler who led a guerrilla campaign against the Moguls. The city's airport and train station were both renamed after Shivaji more than a decade ago.

Opponents of the statue also worry it will mar the view off a strip of the city that has long attracted throngs eager to watch the sunset over the Arabian Sea.

"We have a peaceful, open skyline. You can watch the sea for miles," said Payal Parikh, a 42-year-old housewife. "I have nothing against Shivaji. But why build an island and crowd it with noisy tourists?"

While it's unclear whether the criticism will snowball into concrete opposition, Congress party spokesman Sanjay Nirupam nonetheless appealed for support.

"Citizens must understand we are committed to building another historical monument," he said. "Shivaji is part of our glorious history."