"Statue of Unity" : India's tribute to Sardar Patel

A view of the Statue of Unity. Photo by: Deccan herald website

India has unveiled the "Statue of Unity" as the world's tallest statue with the height of 182 meters or 597 feet in the Narmada district of Indian State of Gujarat. Inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, the tallest statue in the world is designed as a memorial to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who was a leader of Indian independence movement who later became India’s first home minister largely credited for uniting the multi ethic country after the British rule. 

The statue which is almost twice the height of the Statue of Liberty, was designed by Ram V. Sutar, an Indian Sculptor with monumental ambition who has already created more than 200 district statues across India. The statue which depicts Sardar Patel wearing a traditional dhoti and shawl towering over the Narmada River began it's construction on 19th December 2015 & took about 250 engineers & 3,400 laborers to construct it. World's tallest statue which costs Rs. 2,989 crore, has been built using over 70,000 tonnes of cement, 18,500 tonnes of reinforcement steel, 6,000 tonnes of structural steel and 1,700 metric tonnes of bronze, which was used for the outer cladding of the structure. The Statue of Unity and its surroundings which was constructed by construction and engineering company Larsen & Toubro Ltd occupies more than 2 hectares and are surrounded by a 12 kilometer. 

Speaking at the opening on 31 October 2018, Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi said the statue was a rebuttal to those who question the existence of India. Since it is double the height of New York’s world famous Statue of Liberty, the Statue of Unity is likely to draw a record number of foreign tourists from across the world to India.