Statue of Unity: All you need to know
The Statue of Unity is set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat today. The statue is a tribute Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, India's first home minister.
Sardar Patel is credited with uniting all 562 princely states in pre-independent India to build the Republic of India -- hence the name of the statue. The date for the inauguration of the statue (October 31, 2018) also marks the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.
Located on the Sadhu Bet island, near Rajpipla on the Narmada river, the Statue of Unity is located between the Satpura and the Vindhya mountain ranges. A 3.5 km highway will be used to connect the statue to Gujarat's Kevadia town.
Here are 10 interesting things about Statue of Unity
1. The Statue of Unity is the tallest statue in the world. At 182 metres, it is 23 metres taller than China's Spring Temple Buddha statue and almost double the height of the Statue of Liberty (93 metres tall) in US.
2. The Statue of Unity was announced by then-Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in 2010 ahead of civic elections in Ahmedabad. The project costs Rs 3,050 crore.
3. The 129 tonnes of iron for the statue came from melting the farm impelements donated by 100 million farmers in 169,000 villages from across the nation.
4. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust (SVPRET) was established by the Government of Gujarat for its construction.
5. In October 2014, Larsen and Toubro won the contract for its lowest bid of ₹2,989 crore (US$420 million). The construction was started on 31 October 2013. An army of over 3,000 workers, including 300 engineers worked for three and a half year to build this statue.
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6. The statue is a three-layered structure. The innermost layer is made of reinforced cement concrete (RCC), comprising two towers 127 metres high that rise till the statue's chest. The second layer is a steel structure and the third an 8 mm bronze cladding on the surface.
7. The Statue of Unity has been designed by Padma Bhushan-winning sculptor Ram V Sutar. The intricate bronze cladding work has been done by a Chinese foundry, the Jiangxi Toqine Company (JTQ).
8. The world's tallest statue has a viewing gallery at 153 metres, which can accommodate 200 people at a time and offer an expansive view of the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
9. The statue is not just expansive but also safe and durable. It will be able to withstand wind velocity up to 60 m/s, vibration and earthquakes.
10.The Statue of Unity will be open to the public from November 3. Tickets can be booked online at www.soutickets.in.
