The Statue of Unity is the core of this mighty project, and consecutively, the development of the Preserve around is taking place intending to catalyze the economic growth of the region and encourage future visitors.
The Statue of Unity is a marvel of engineering that took four years. It was built, with a fund of Rs 2989 crore. Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi inaugurated the Statue of Unity on October 31, 2018.
The project foundation and construction began on 31 October 2013. Padma Bhushan recipient sculptor Ram V Sutar has prepared the design of the sculpture.
The state government of Gujarat has arranged all the funds for the project, which is Rs 3,050-crore. The project covers an area of 20,000 square metres surrounded by a 12 square kilometre artificial lake.
The Statue of Unity will turn from its original bronze colour to green due to the oxidation process. You can discover some of the interesting facts about the Statue of Unity.
1. World’s highest, 182 meters tall – The Statue of Unity
The height of the Statue of Unity is 29 metres higher than the Spring Temple of Buddha in China. And by 89 metres more than the Statue of Liberty. The height of the base is 58 metres.
This monument of Shri Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is facing the Narmada Dam. It is situated on a river island called Sadhu Bet near Rajpipla on the River Narmada. This dam was the dream of Shri Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
It has resided between the magnificent mountain ranges of the Satpura and the Vindhyachal near Kevadia town in Gujarat.
Three hundred engineers with about 3000 workers from Larsen and Toubro (L & T) have built the monument, which takes almost three and a half years.
Nearly 100 million farmers across 169,000 villages from all states of India have donated around 129 tonnes of iron to build the Statue of Unity.
The Chinese company Jiangxi Toqine Company ( JTQ ) has done bronze cladding of the Statue. The three-layered innermost structure is getting ready with reinforced cement concrete (RCC), 8 mm bronze and steel.
The monument can withstand earthquakes and wind speed up to 100 km per second. There is an arrangement of four high-speed lifts for the tourists in the legs of the monument. In just 30 seconds, the lift can bring 26 people to the top.
At 153 metres of height from the viewing gallery, 200 people together can enjoy the panoramic view of the Sardar Sarovar Dam and the mountain ranges of the Satpura and Vindhyachal.
Other attractions of the Statue of Unity are the grand museum, 3-star lodging facility, memorial garden and food court.
2. Road connecting M & VC and Shrestha Bharat Bhavan
The internal road is constructed, which has a length of about 5.8 km. Maintenance and improvement work is conducted from time to time on the existing road connecting to the Sadhu Bet islet.
Also, demolition and up-gradation work is going on for the existing Suryakund and Panchmuli bridges located along the way connected from Kevadia Colony to Sardar Sarovar Dam.
The tallest statue of the world has the Ramada Hotel Statue of Unity, the Grand Luxurious Hotel Brand, Shrestha Bharat Bhavan (Ramada Encore), in its vicinity.
While booking, it is better to mention Ramada Encore by Wyndham Statue of Unity Shreshtha Bharat Bhavan to avoid confusion.
3. Connecting bridge – Memorial & Visiting Centre and Sadhu Bet Island
The mainland near M & VC and Sadhu Bet islets is connected, with the three hundred meters long bridge. The monument is situated right there.
The bridge is architecturally beautiful and has nine visible piers. It is surrounded by the river water, which gives it a beautiful view.
The bridge is 26 metres wide. It has an airport styled travelator on both sides and a middle bridge road.
4. The Statue Base
At the base of the statue, you can take a look at the exhibition hall and gallery. At the base, there is a two-level, contemplative Memorial Garden.
The Exhibition Hall provides information on the history of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first deputy prime minister of independent India. It is a must visit place as a proud indian.
5. Memorial and Visiting Centre
On the northern side of the River Narmada, you can discover a memorial and visiting centre, ticket counter, garden, service area and boat dock & ramp.
6. Viewing Gallery
From the bottom of its underground base called Reduced Level or RL, the viewing gallery is about 193 meters in height.
It has a magnificent view of the River Narmada on its way downstream. On the other window, it has a view inside the monument.
The front side view from the gallery is the most attractive as it is facing towards the dam. One can enjoy the fantastic view of the reservoir, the reserve forest, the dam and the whole visitor centre.
7. Facial features of the Statue
Mr Ram V Sutar, the Noida based sculptor has designed the Statue of Shri Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Special care has been taken to ensure that the face of the Statue resembles the facial features of Shri Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. As a process, more than 2000 photos of him from archives were studied. The team has also consulted the historians and other related people who had actually seen Iron Man. The distant view appears as Shri Sardar Patel is walking on water towards the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
