Bharat SainiLast Updated on December 24, 2018 by Bharat Saini
Statue of Unity, world’s tallest, statue at 182 metres of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, towering over the Narmada River and overlooking the Sardar Sarovar dam, designed by Padma Bhushan-winning sculptor Ram V Sutar, was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 31 October 2018, the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, at Kevadiya in Narmada District of Gujarat, as a tribute to the country’s ‘Iron Man’. The dedication ceremony was punctuated by flypast of IAF aircraft, and performances of cultural troupes.
Greeting the people of India on this occasion, the Prime Minister said that the entire country is celebrating Rashtriya Ekta Divas on the day and added, “Statue of Unity is an answer to all those who question the existence of India. The height of the statue is to remind the youth that the future of the country will be as huge as this. It is also symbolic of our engineering and technology affordability”.
The ‘Statue of Unity’, an embodiment of national integration and indomitable determination, stands in Sadhu Island on the Narmada in Gujarat depicts Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel wearing a traditional dhoti:
- Statue has been built at a cost of ₹2989 crore by Indian construction major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) in 33 months.
- Statute has about 6500 bronze panels.
- Exceeds the height of China’s Spring Temple Buddha by 177 feet.
- Is almost double the size of Statue of Liberty in the US
- Is four times the size of Christ the Redeemer in Brazil
- Two high-speed elevators are fitted inside the legs of the statue leading to the Visitors’ gallery near the chest of the statue, giving a breath-taking view of the beautiful Narmada Valley.
- Shrestha Bharat Bhavan’- a 52-room three-star lodging facility for the visitors coming to see the monument has been constructed along with the world’s tallest statue, in addition to the walkway, food court, and four-lane approach highway,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also inaugurated the Wall of Unity. He visited the Museum and Exhibition, and the Viewers’ Gallery. This gallery, at 153 metres height, can accommodate upto 200 visitors at one time. It offers a spectacular view of the Sardar Sarovar Dam, its reservoir, and the Satpura and Vindhya mountain ranges.
Prime Minister described the Statue of Unity as a symbol of the self-respect of the farmers who gave soil from their land, and iron from their farming implements for the Statue and said the Statue would generate considerable tourism opportunities for the region.
Prime Minister mentioned that the work is in progress for the museum dedicated to Subhash Chandra Bose in Delhi, Shivaji statue in Mumbai, and Tribal museums across the country; and besides the Statue of Unity, following memorials have been made in recent years to recall the contributions of freedom fighters and great leaders:
- Museum dedicated to Sardar Patel in Delhi,
- Mahatma Mandir and Dandi Kutir in Gandhinagar,
- Panchtirth dedicated to Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar,
- Statue of Sri Chhotu Ram in Haryana, and
- Memorials of Shyamji Krishna Varma and Veer Nayak Govind Guru in Kutch.
