PM Modi unveiles Statue of Unity, world’s tallest at 182 m (600 feet)
Photo Tweeted By BJP4India
Photo Tweeted By BJP4India
Kevadia (Gujarat) : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday unveiled the ‘Statue of Unity’ in the honour of country’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Narmada district of Gujarat.
Highlights
- The 182m-tall Statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi
- At 182m (About 600 feet), Statue of Unity is touted as world’s tallest
- It is almost 29 metres taller than China’s Spring Temple Buddha that stands at 153 metres
- Statue of Unity is almost twice as high as the 93-metre Statue of Liberty in New York
- Statue of Unity was designed by Padma Sri & Padma Bhushan recipient Ram Vanji Sutar
- Ram Vanji Sutar also created the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Indian Parliament
- Construction of Statue of Unity was completed in 33 months
- Over 3000 workers toiled day and night to complete the construction work
- Cost involved in construction of Statue Of Unity: About 3000 crores
Built on Sadhu Bet Island on Narmada river, the imposing statue is touted to be the world’s tallest.
The Rs 2,389 crore monument is a tribute to Patel who played a major role in integrating the princely states into the Indian Union after the partition of 1947.
Sardar’s statue drawfs the current tallest statue – the Spring Temple Buddha in China. It is almost 29 metres taller than China’s Spring Temple Buddha that stands at 153 metres, and almost twice as high as the 93-metre Statue of Liberty in New York.
Three Indian Air Force planes flew past the Patel figure and created the tricolour in the sky after Modi inaugurated the giant.
The Gujarat government expects the statue to boost tourism, with one estimate putting the daily numbers at 15,000.
Apart from the Patel bronze figure, other major attractions include inauguration of a 17-km-long Valley of flowers, a Tent City for tourists near the statue and a museum dedicated to the life and times of Patel.
The Tent City, located around four km from the Statue of Unity can house more than 500 tourists in one go.
A viewing gallery at a height of 153 metres has been created inside the statue to enable tourists to have a view of 1,210 metre long concrete Sardar Sarovar Dam, 3.2 km upstream as well as the nearby Satpura and Vindhya mountain ranges.
As per a government statement, the statue has been built using over 70,000 tonnes of cement, 18,500 tonnes of reinforced steel, 6,000 tonnes of structural steel and 1,700 tonnes of bronze, which was used for the outer cladding of the structure.
Modi was accompanied by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
Updated on : October 31, 2018 at 10:53 IST
By EP Web Desk
(With Inputs From IANS)
