Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 'Statue of Unity.' The Statue of Unity is the world's tallest statue at 182 meters (597 feet).
It is a tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Sardar Patel (Oct 31, 1875 - Dec 15, 1950) was a political and a social leader. He is also a freedom fighter and independent India's first home minister and deputy PM.
He was known as the 'Iron man of India.' The statue is situated on Sadhu-Bet island which is 3.5 kms South of the Sardar Sarovar dam in Narmada district.
It is vibration and earthquake proof and can withstand wind velocity up to 60 metres/sec.
The project was completed in around four years at an estimated cost of Rs`2,989 crore and 22,500 million tons of cement was used. 3,400 workers and 250 engineers were involved in the project.
Key highlights
It has an open lift with a panoramic view built alongside the statue and a Viewing Gallery at 153 metres that can accommodate up to 200 visitors at one go.
Shrestha Bharat Bhavan, a 3-star lodging facility with 52 rooms has a museum, an audio-visual department, laser, light and sound show on the efforts of unification of India. It also has a memorial garden, an exhibition hall, restaurants, recreational spots to keep it free of vehicular traffic and pollution.
The statue and surrounding area can only be accessed by special boats. The project was announced by PM Modi in 2010 when he was Gujarat chief minister.
The fun fact about the statue's height is 182 meters is almost equivalent to a 60-storey building!
(Edited by : Shubham Singh)
First Published: Oct 31, 2018 6:08 PM IST