A look at the world’s most controversial monuments!

There are so many iconic monuments and statues and memorials across the globe that have impressed people with their unique beauty and history.

However, many of these prominent monuments are also noted for the controversy surrounding them.

From land rows to cutting down artists’ hands, a lot of these places have dark history. These are basically counted among the most controversial attractions of the place.

Let’s checkout some of the most controversial of all:

The Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo was constructed in 1869 to “commemorate and honour the achievement of those who dedicated their precious lives for their country.” There are some 2.5 million names inscribed inside the shrine and reportedly some 14 names are of “Class A” war criminals. One of the names belongs to a general who was responsible for the attack on the US fleet at Pearl Harbor, and another general who had ordered a battle that killed nearly 200,000 civilians in 1937.

The Valley of the Fallen was built in the memory of soldiers who died in the Spanish Civil War. The controversy around it is because it is also the resting place of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. This has made the Valley of the Fallen (Valle de los Caidos) Spain’s most controversial memorial. General Francisco Franco was the nation’s former dictator. He rose to power with the help of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy.

Considered as the symbol of love, the Taj Mahal in Agra is also one of the Seven Wonders of the World. But the place has always been surrounded by many controversies. It is believed that the Mughal king Shah Jahan chopped off the hands of the artisans, who built this architectural marvel after the construction was completed so that no one could replicate it.

It is said that the Fallen Angel statue in Madrid, Spain is dedicated to Satan himself! Apparently, it is the only monument in the whole wide world that is dedicated to the devil. The statue was built sometime during the 19th century.

An incredible American icon in South Dakota, it is said that Mount Rushmore is built on seized land. Back in the 1920s, the local Lakota tribes sued the government of America for land theft. The land battle went on for decades and in 1980, the US Supreme Court said that the government had illegally taken the Black Hills territory from the Lakota. Later, the tribe was given $17.1 million in damages.

Also the original plan was to depict Lewis and Clark, Red Cloud, and General George Custer. Later, it was replaced with the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

Apparently, statues of Christopher Columbus are quite controversial in the USA. The man who is “incorrectly” known for “discovering America” has a number of statues across the USA; however, there are so many statues that have been vandalised over a period of time. For example, a statue of Columbus in Boston, Massachusetts, was beheaded by people, and one in Richmond, Virginia, was thrown into a lake. Also, there are several cities which now celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day.

We can’t deny the fact that Che Guevara’s life and history was complicated. Though he always fought for social equality, he also advocated guerrilla warfare. There is a sect that considers him a hero, but there are some who call him a “squalid killer.” Bolivia, La Higuera, has a memorial of Guevara which was also the town where Guevara was assassinated. Today the monument is a big tourist attraction in the town.