India is home to some of the tallest statues in the world and in progress to build world’s tallest statues as well. The statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat will be the tallest statue in the world with an 182 m tall installed near to the giant Narmada Dam also known as Sardar sarovar Dam.
Statue of Unity – 182 metres – India’s Statue of Unity is World’s Tallest
About The Project
The monument compound is spread across 20,000 square metres, surrounded by a 12 km artificial lake. The project was carried out by a Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust (SVPRET) which was established for this purpose. The magnanimous Statue is designed by the Indian Sculptor, Padma Bhushan awardee Ram Vanji Sutar. The construction of the final product was taken up by the Indian company Larson & Toubro and the total project was estimated to have cost 3000 Crore INR (420 million USD).
The Iron needed for the project was supposed to be collected from the used farming equipment from farmers all around the nation, who were the most cared by Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. Due to some problems, nearly 5000 tonnes of iron collected was used for a different part of the same project but not the statue. Along with the project in progress, SVPRET’s Statue of Unity Movement organised the Suraaj Petition which included the ideas for good governance by the people and resulted in becoming the world’s largest signed petition. These were some of the other essential features of the project.
The project was announced in 2010 by the Gujrat Government, and the foundation stone to the project was laid by the former Chief Minister of Gujrat and the present Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on 31 October 2013 on the 138th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The construction of the Statue of Unity was completed on 22 October 2018.
Started on: 31 October, 2013
Completed on: 22 October, 2018
Inaugurated on: 31 October, 2018
History:
Narendra Modi first announced the project to commemorate Vallabhbhai Patel on 7 October 2013 at a press conference to mark the beginning of his 10th year as The Chief Minister of Gujarat.
A separate Society named Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust (SVPRET) has been formed under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister, Government of Gujarat, to ensure seamless execution of the entire project.
An outreach drive named the Statue of Unity Movement was started to support the construction of the statue. It helped collect the iron needed for the statue by asking farmers to donate their used farming instruments. By 2016, total 135 metric tonnes of scrap iron had been collected and about 109 tonnes of it was used to make the foundation of the statue after processing. marathon entitled Run For Unity was held on 15 December 2013 in Surat and in Vadodara in support of the project.
The Height of The Statue of Unity
182 metres (597 feet)
Location
The statue of Unity is Located in Gujarat, by the banks of River Narmada on the River Island of Sadhu Bet.
How to Reach
The site of the Statue of Unity is about 90 km away from Vadodara and can be reached via State Highway 11 and State Highway 63. If you are coming from Mumbai, go north via the NH48 and change to SH64 near Mulad, but the journey from Mumbai via road will be about 420 km long.
Timings
Every day from 9 AM to 6 PM
Entry fees
Without the access to Observation Deck
Adults – INR 120 per person
Children – INR 60 per Child
With the access to Observation Deck
INR 350 per person for both – Adults and Children