Statue of Unity | The Pride Of India

Statue of Unity is a memorial dedicated to Indian statesman, independence activist, the First Deputy Prime Minister, and the first Home Minister of independent India Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. This world's tallest statue is built on an island named Sadhu Bet near 3.2 km near Sardar Sarovar Dam in the Narmada district of Gujarat. The statue is shaped into five sections. Of these, the people have entrance to only three sections. The surroundings combine to the attraction of this sculpture. The Statue of Unity has enhanced the pride of the nation in a  short time. It is the highest statue in the world and is drawing many tourists from all over the world and has received immense international recognition. 

The Statue of Unity is the statue of one of the most notable Indian leaders, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, he is remembered as the Iron Man of India. Every year Sardar Patel's birth anniversary is celebrated as the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is observed on 31st October which was introduced in 2014 by the Government of India. It was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who came up with the idea of ​​constructing this huge building. He declared the foundation of this statue in the year 2010 which marked his 10th year as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. The development of this structural phenomenon though started late, in the year 2014. It went 4 years to get it into shape. A large number of workers and artists were engaged to build this statue. It was inaugurated by PM Modi on 31 October 2018. The date chosen for the opening ceremony was also special, that was the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. It was opened to the public from 1 November and has been teeming with tourists ever since. 

Foundation of Statue of Unity

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel played an important role in getting the British out of the country and building the nation. It was Sardar Patel who consolidated all the 562 royal states of India to form the Republic of India. He was known for his strength and determination and was given the title of 'Iron Man of India'. PM Modi decided to build a statue of Sardar Patel as a tribute to this great soul. He came up with a plan to build the world's highest statue so that Sardar Patel's contribution to our nation will be recognized not only by Indians but across the world. By building this statue, he intended to secure that the contribution of this eminent leader is in the minds of the people in the years and years to come. It was named the Statue of Unity because Vallabhbhai Patel had made a huge contribution in maintaining the unity of India.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel belonged to a peasant family. He was a person connected with roots. On December 15, 2013, the then Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Narendra Modi had initiated the drive to 1,69,000 villages, urged farmers and artisans to donate their old and used tools and people came forward to donate them in large numbers, bringing about 3 lacs barren kit boxes and finally, by the year 2016, 135 metric tonnes of iron was obtained for the Statue of Unity by L&T. Therefore, to make this huge statue, farmers across the country have given iron from their old tools. A target was set to collect iron from 5 lakh farmers. Over 6 lakh farmers have provided 5000 metric tons of iron.

It took a lot of sweat and hard work to build this structure. A team of artists, historians, and architects was selected to carry this work forward. He studied various statues of Sardar Patel installed in different parts of the country. Finally, the design suggested by the sculptor, Ram V. Sutar, was approved and work began on the construction of this unique statue. The Statue of Unity is said to be a replica of the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel installed at Ahmedabad International Airport. It is just that this statue is much larger than this. The total height of the statue is 240 meters (including the base). The base built for the statue is 58 meters. The statue built on it is situated at an altitude of 182 meters. It is the height of this statue that captures attention. It is the tallest statue worldwide.

The Statue of Unity reflects the strong personality of Sardar Patel. In this statue, he is seen wearing a dhoti, with his head held high and a shawl on his shoulders. He has his hands on his arm and is wearing a pair of slippers. The height and other measures of the height of the statue have been decided in such a way that it remains intact amid adverse climatic conditions. This one-of-a-kind statue can withstand winds of up to 220 km per hour. It can also withstand earthquakes of up to 6.5 on the Richter scale.


Features of Statue of Unity

The statue is located in the ‎Narmada Valley in the Kevadiya colony and is designed by ‎Ram V. Sutar. The statue is formed by steel framing and reinforced by concrete. The height of the Statue of Unity is ‎182 meters (597 ft) and it is the tallest statue in the world. Accelerators are used to view the bottom and tour the top of the memorial. The statue is capped with bronze. The statue has a floor balcony, terrace, garden, museum, and exhibition related to the memorial life and contributions of Sardar Patel. A 500 feet high observer deck is built on this monument in which more than 200 people can simultaneously see the statue. This memorial includes refreshments and food corner to facilitate the tourists.

The huge statue required huge money

It was built by a public-private partnership model. Most of the investment for its construction was made by the Government of Gujarat. Funds were also contributed by the public sector undertakings under the Corporate Social Responsibility Scheme. The expenditure and construction cost of this historic monument is around 2,989 crore. The statue is made by barring bronze cladding. The statue is situated approximately 3.5 km downstream the Narmada river near the Sardar Sarovar Dam, on Sadhu Hill. The design and maintenance of the monument were undertaken by Indian company Larsen & Turbo.

Run for Unity

A marathon called Run for Unity was held on 15 December 2013 in Surat to support the Statue of Unity project. Since then, it is held on 31 October each year and is dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. After the statue of Sardar Patel was uncovered in Gujarat on 31 October 2018, Run for Unity was held in various part of the country. Union Youth Affairs Minister and Home Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off the event. About 12,000 people participated in the marathon.


Statue of Unity other attractions

Statue of Unity is a symbol of unity and peace created to commemorate the contribution of Shri Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. This statue has become a popular tourist destination in a very short time. ver 15k tourists visit it every day. People can view the Statue of Unity complex where they see exhibitions, museums relating to life events of Sardar Patel. Sardar Sarovar Dam, Valley of flowers, river rafting, Boating & Helicopter Ride, Valley of Flowers, Riverfront Cycling along the Narmada river, forests, waterfalls, Sardar Patel Zoological Park and Safari, Children Nutrition Park, and Zarwani Waterfalls are some other attraction the Statue of Unity.