Statue of Unity – Location, Construction, Tourism

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel AKA the ‘Iron Man of India’ stands tall at the bank of the Narmada river. Located in Gujarat’s Kevadiya Colony and facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam, the Statue of Unity’s project was first announced by then Chief Minister of the state Narendra Modi, who inaugurated the statue as the Prime Minister of India on 31 October 2018. 31 October is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.

Sardar Patel is credited as the ‘Unifier of India’ after freedom. He was a barrister and a freedom activist who became the first Home Minister of India, the newly independent country that suffered communal riots followed by the partition. Sardar Patel was highly respected for his leadership, freedom activism, and handling of the integration of princely states in India.

That’s about the dynamic personality. Now, let’s move on to his dynamic statue, the Statue of Unity – know all about World’s Tallest Statue:

Tallest Statue in the World:

Undoubtedly, with a height of 182 meters, the Statue of Unity is the world’s tallest statue followed by the Spring Temple of China’s Henan province that earlier held the crown. The Statue of Unity is almost double the height of the Statue of Liberty situated in New York, United States.

As Firm as Sardar Patel:

Sardar Patel worked to unite the states after India became a newly independent country. His major contribution to handling the Princely state Hyderabad and its merger with India is well appreciated. His impactful diplomatic skills and efforts towards the integration of the nation made him the ‘Iron Man of India’.

Keeping this fact in mind, his statue had to be as firm as his personality. So, can withstand winds of up to 180 km/h and earthquakes estimating 6.5 Richter Scale at the dept of 10 km and within a radius of 12 km of the Statue of Unity.

Statue of Unity – Larsen & Toubro Won the Contract for Construction:

Indigenous infrastructure company Larsen & Toubro was contracted to construct the Statue of Unity in October 2014 with the lowest bid of 2,989 crores rupees that included design, construction, and maintenance.

The statue was designed by Padma Bhushan Ram V. Sutar. It took over 34 months for the construction of the statue to be completed and the construction began in December 2015.

Statue of Unity – An Incredible Example of Engineering and Technology:

The Dhoti-clad statue of Sardar Patel is considered one of the finest examples of engineering in India. The walking pose opens up the gap between the two legs which is 6.4 meters. According to Larsen & Toubro, the design was finalized after going through over 2,000 photographs from archives, consultation with historians, and people who had seen Sardar Patel. Then the technology was used to create a 2-dimensional photograph into a 3-dimensional model.

Statue of Unity – Wonderful and a Prominent Tourist Spot:

Apart from the gaze of the world, the statue has gained equal importance among tourists as well as reputed recognition. Sardar Patel’s Statue of Unity made it to TIME’s list of the World’s 100 Greatest Places in 2019. Not just that, the statue is included in the ‘8 Wonders of SCO list by Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

As per statistics, tourist footfall at the spot reached more than 15,000 in November 2019, just under a year after opening it to the public.

Statue of Unity – Honor to the Unifier of the Nation

As we know that Sardar Patel never lost hope and became the ‘Iron Man of India’ after his dynamic attitude earned India a great victory over the powers that were pro-violence. He organized relief efforts for the victims of the partition. Not just that, Sardar Patel had been actively participating in the freedom movements organized by Mahatma Gandhi and was among his first associates of him.

The Statue of Unity is constructed in the honor of his efforts toward the freedom of the nation and his service as an official leader after that.

The Wonderful View of Sardar Sarovar Dam From the Statue:

Sardar Patel was a personality with a broader vision, patience, and right diplomatic skills. All these helped India to be the version that it is today. Similarly, the viewing gallery located at a height of 153 meters, embraces the viewers with a wonderful panoramic view of the Sardar Sarovar Dam. 

Statue of Unity – Structure and Capacity:

The Statue of Unity is divided into 5 zones, three levels that include an exhibit floor, mezzanine, and roof. there’s a museum in the first zone that documents the life of Sardar Patel and his contribution to the nation.

The concrete towers that are forming the legs of the statue contain two elevators each and each of them can carry 26 people at a time to the viewing gallery which is located at a height of 153 meters. The viewing gallery can accommodate 200 people at once.

‘Loha Campaign’ – Farmers Donated Iron for the Statue:

Then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, 2013, announced the Statue of Unity Movement under which several campaigns were held. 'Run for Unity' and 'Loha Campaign' was among them.

The Loha Campaign was started to collect the iron needed for the statue that was supposed to take the used farming instruments that they would donate for the same. Through the campaign, a total of 135 metric tonnes of crap iron was collected and after processing, 109 tonnes of the collected iron were used to make the foundation of Sardar Patel’s statue. 

Railway Connectivity To Boost tourism:

Being one of the prominent tourist destinations, the transport connectivity here was to be uplifted and the Indian Railways did its efforts for the same. So, there are special trains to the Statue of Unity that is started to boost tourist footfall at the Statue of Unity.