Statue Of Unity: A Tribute To The ‘Iron Man of India’

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Ahmedabad: On the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, also known as the ‘Iron Man of India’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the ‘Statue of Unity’, dedicated to statesman par excellence. Widely considered to be the architect of modern India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel played an important role in the integration of all the princely states (especially Hyderabad, Junagadh and Kashmir) into the Indian Union after the British left India in 1947.

Sardar-Vallabhai-Patel-in-Cuttack-1947
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Cuttack (1947) / Pic Credit- Twitter

Standing at 182 meters in the middle of river Narmada at Kevadia in Gujarat’s Narmada district, the Statue of Unity is the tallest statue in the world- much taller than the 153 metre Spring Temple Buddha in China and almost twice the size of the Statue of Liberty in New York.

The statue portrays a naturalistic depiction of Sardar Patel in a walking pose, dressed in his trademark attire. It stands on a star-shaped, geometric base that covers the entire Sadhu Hill. The Statue of Unity is made up of 1,700 tonnes of bronze, 1,850 tonnes of bronze cladding, 70,000 metric tonnes of cement and 24,500 metric tonnes of steel.

Pic Credit- PIB

It took 33 months to complete and was built at a cost of  Rs 3,000 crore. Elevators will take tourists up to the statue’s chest (at 135 m) from where they can view the Narmada river and Sardar Sarovar Dam. The viewing gallery can accommodate up to 200 visitors at one go and affords a breath-taking view of the dam and the lush green locales surrounding the ‘Statue of Unity.’

One can have a view of the Satpura and Vindhyachal mountain ranges, which also form the point where Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra meet. Visitors can also get a distant view of the 12-km-long Garudeshwar Reservoir (which will help ensure there is always water around the statue), which is located downstream from the Narmada dam.

An exhibition centre at its base showcasing the life and achievements of Sardar Patel. In the lobby area at the entrance of the statue, a Museum and Audio Visual Gallery will feature 15-minute presentations on the life of Patel and the tribal culture of Gujarat, to entertain tourists awaiting their turn to go up.

PM Modi had laid the foundation stone of the ‘Statue of Unity’ on 31st October 2013, when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. He had flagged off the campaign for the construction of the statue to 1,69,000 villages, carrying about three lakh empty kit boxes to collect soil and scrap-iron farm implements. By 2016, 135 metric tonnes of iron were collected in various forms that have been used in the making of the statue. The collected earth from all parts of the country has been used in the making of the symbolic Unity Wall.

As a tribute to the great leader, the ‘Statue of Unity’ will stand tall as an inspiration to future generations and remind them of Patel’s contribution to nation-building and a symbol of national harmony and integrity.

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