Statue of Unity at Rajpipla,Gujarat – Worlds tallest statue

Well, the day came, we saw him,

Statue of Unity – A monument to commemorate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was inaugurated on Wednesday 31st October 2018, i.e. in 143rd birth anniversary of the Iron man of India.This massive statue is located in the state of Gujarat near the Narmada Dam. To be more precise, the statue stands on Sadhu Bet, a river Island near the city of Rajpipla in the Narmada district.

The man behind the unification of India, Patel was the reason we can call ourselves India. He single-handedly united all the princely states in India.First Home Minister of India and his determined efforts towards the country earned him the name Iron Man of India.On 31st October every year India celebrates the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel which was declared Rastriya Ekta Divas(unity day) in 2014.

Statue of unity was announced in 2010 when Shri Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. In October 2013, the Chief Minister, Modi had laid its foundation stone, and its contract was given to engineering company L & T. Since then, its construction has begun. A geotechnical and hydrological survey was completed in 2015.

Few Facts:

This 182-meter-tall statue is being built on an island in the Narmada, the fifth longest river in the Indian subcontinent. The Statue of Unity is around twice the height of the Statue of Liberty in the USA and approximately five times taller than the Statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.It is world’s tallest statue and is intentionally built 182 metres tall to represent the 182 Assembly. It is built at a cost of Rs. 2989 crore.The statue has been designed by Padma Bhushan winning sculptor Ram V Suta.

There is a museum at the bottom which has 40000 documents 2000 photographs and research center dedicated to Patel’s life. It is being built approximately 3.5 kms south of the Sardar Sarovar Dam, the second largest concrete gravity dam (by volume) in the world.

Visitors will be able to use high-speed lifts to reach the Statue’s viewing gallery, and enjoy a panoramic view of the Sardar Sarovar Dam and its 256 km long reservoir. It has the longest canal network in the world and includes the Narmada Main Canal, around 2,500 km of branch canals, 5,500 km of distributaries, and other associated channels.

The projection mapping show, which is commonly known as laser show, at the Statue of Unity is a 15-minute-long colorful and beguiling light cum sound show is performed at the statue of unity with the help of 51 high resolution projectors fixed at a distance of 600 meters. The laser show daily   starts sharps at 7:00 pm for 15 minutes which is worth watching as it depicts the life and times of the iron man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel using his 182-meter-tall statue as the screen.

How to Reach:

The massive statue is located nearly 90 kilometres from Vadodara in Gujarat. Vadodara is a prominent city in Gujarat and is hence, well-connected to other major cities of the country. The Vadodara Aiport, which is 90 km away, provides easy access to the statue. Cabs and public transport is available at the airport and will take you directly to the statue.It is well connected by train and bus as well from major parts of the country.

Where to Stay:

There is a 17-km-long Valley of Flowers and a Tent City. A guest house, ‘Sreshtha Bharat Bhavan’, has also been built where tourists can stay.

Travel Tips:

  • Statue of Unity remains closed every Monday for maintenance work, so one should make sure they do not plan to go there on Monday.
  • THe basic ticket is INR 120 per person but If you want to go up to statue you need to pay 350 rupees which comprises entry to the observation deck, valley of flowers, the Sardar Patel memorial, museum and audio-visual gallery, the Statue of Unity site and Sardar Sarovar dam. Recently, they have initiated an Express Entry which costs INR 1000 and in that you don’t have to stand in a queue and your time shall be saved in it.The tickets are available online on soutickets.
  • Entry gates are open from 9 am to 6 pm every day. Buses have also been made available for tourists inside the complex. Boat rides will also begin soon.
  • There is a 30-minute laser shows in the evening every day.
  • There is a museum at the bottom. With the support of escalators and lift. You can go up to the viewing gallery which is the chest level of statue which is 45 floors high.The sardar SarovarDam look tiny from that height. Everything is posh neat and clean. They also have massive food court where food is of great quality.
  • The best part of corporate social responsibility(CSR) here – the entire staff working is from surrounding place which are fairly poor and backward. The business runs by local people and the complex will grow with more attracting things. There are many young boys and girls in grey uniforms and works as guides.

If you are one of those folks who envy the USA for Statue of Liberty or China for its Spring Temple Buddha Statue then embrace yourself for the news that has made into the book of world records. Gujarat has made history by unveiling world’s tallest statue, the Statue of Unity. The 600 feet tall or 182 meters tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel constructed near the Narmada Dam in Rajpipla in Gujarat. It is made of steel and bronze, the pride of Gujarat Tourism, the statue symbolizes the message of unity Sardar always propagated. Dawning the skyline, the grand statue of Patel is believed to be a major tourist destination for International travelers and domestic tourists. Standing tall in the heartland of Gujarat, the statue symbolizes the message of peace and unity that the man himself believed till his last breath.

About Author:

This is guest post from Arthdev Raj from Vadodara. He is professionally HR Officer and utilizing his education of social work by being helping hands to as many as he can. He also finds time to explore new places and had traveled to so many destinations in India and Europe at early age.He is also aspiring future travel blogger like us.

 

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6 Comments

  1. Right now the statue of unity is most tallest statue in World. It is great homage by the Indian present central Government. Sardar Ballabh Bhai patel was the first home minister of India and very good politician of India. We are also pay homage for him.

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