A sculpture for Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the renowned father of the Indian nation, created by well-known Chinese painter Yuan Xikun was unveiled on Friday in Beijing's Chaoyang Park.

The statue, 1.08 meters in height and 1 meter in width, stands in the international friendship forest located in the western part of the park. It depicts Gandhi doing some reading.

Addressing the unveiling ceremony, visiting Indian Home Minister Shivraj Vishwanathrao Patil lauded Gandhi as a great soldier in seeking peace and fighting injustice who held a very friendly impression about China.

As India-China relations enter a new stage of overall development and diversification, Gandhi's edification is still of profound significance in guiding the development of bilateral ties, said Patil.

Yuan, the statue's creator, said the splendid cultural heritage Gandhi left behind is a great fortune for all humankind. He said he hopes more Chinese will know and remember this great man, which is why he created the sculpture.

After the unveiling ceremony, over 100 pictures, covering Gandhi's whole life from his childhood till his assassination in 1948, were presented in a photo exhibition named the "Life of Mahatma Gandhi-Apostle of Peace."

More than 200 home and overseas guests, including Indian Ambassador to China Nalin Surie, Liu Hongcai, deputy head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Luo Qin, secretary-general of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, attended the unveiling ceremony.

Gandhi, born in 1869, waged a campaign of "non-violent civil disobedience" that ultimately won India its freedom from British colonial rule. He was assassinated on Jan. 30, 1948, at the age of 79.

Source: Xinhua