Rare Facts About the Statue of Unity | National Unity Day

It was designed by Indian sculptor Ram V. Sutar and was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 31 October 2018, the 143rd anniversary of Sardar Patel’s birth.

The Statue of Unity is a colossal statue of Indian statesman and independence activist Vallabhbhai Patel (1875–1950), who was the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of independent India and adherent of Mahatma Gandhi during the non-violent Indian Independence movement. Patel was highly respected for his leadership in uniting 562 princely states of India with a major part of the former British Raj to form the single Union of India. The statue is located in the state of Gujarat, India. It is the world’s tallest statue with a height of 182 metres (597 feet). It is located on the Narmada River in the Kevadiya colony, facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam 100 kilometres (62 mi) southeast of the city of Vadodara and 150 kilometres (93 mi) from Surat.

The project was first announced in 2010 and the construction of the statue started in October 2013 by Larsen & Toubro, with a total construction cost of ₹2,989 crore (₹29.89 billion; US$437 million). It was designed by Indian sculptor Ram V. Sutar and was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 31 October 2018, the 143rd anniversary of Sardar Patel’s birth.

Facts:

• The Statue of Unity is the tallest in the world, standing tall at a height of 182 m. It is almost double the height of the Statue of Liberty in the United States of America, and 23 m taller than China’s Spring Temple Buddha statue.
• Three and a half years went into the building of this statue; 3000 workers, including 300 engineers were involved in the building process.
• Padma Bhushan recipient sculptor Ram V Sutar built the Statue of Unity, whereas the intricate bronze work was done by the Jiangxi Toqine Company (JTQ), a Chinese foundry.
• The viewing gallery, at a height of 153 m, has the capacity to accommodate 200 people at a time and also offers an expansive view of the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
• The Statue of Unity is a three-layered structure and can withstand earthquakes and severe wind velocity.
• Once the statue open for public, it is expected around 15000 visitors will visit it every day. The museum has 2000 photographs, 40000 documents and a research centre dedicated to the life of Iron Man Sardar Patel.
• Iron was collected from all over the country to build this Statue of Unity.

Further, the entire structure is composed divided into zones; here are the details:

Zone 1: Three levels including a mezzanine floor, exhibit floor and roof comprise this zone. As per the reports, it will have a museum and a memorial garden.

Zone 2: This zone will extend till the statue’s thighs.

Zone 3: This zone goes up till the viewing gallery, which has the ability to accommodate 200 people.

Zone 4: This section comprises the statue’s head and shoulders, both not accessible to visitors.