A statue of India national hero’s, Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a fort in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district, collapsed on Monday, The Hindu newspaper reports.

While experts are set to determine the exact cause, the official noted that the district has experienced heavy rains and strong winds over the past two to three days.

The 10-meter statue fell around 1pm at Rajkot Fort in Malvan, eight months after its unveiling.

Poor quality materials were used in its construction. The local authorities had ignored the opinion of experts who had warned about its possible collapse due to weather conditions.

But there were no casualties or injuries as a result of the collapse of this statue.

At the behest of the Maharashtra Public Works Department, a criminal case was filed against the contractor and others on charges of fraud and endangerment of public safety.

It has been decided to restore Shivaji's monument in the near future.

In mid-17th century, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj raised a rebellion against the Muslim rule and in 1674 created the state of the Marathas in the territory of present-day Maharashtra.