Statue of Unity: The 182-metre structure of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is touted as the world's tallest

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will toady unveiled the 'Statue of Unity' in Gujarat's Narmada district on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Located in Sadhu-Bet Island, Gujarat, the statue occupies over 20,000 square meters and is surrounded by a 12 square km artificial lake. The 182-metre structure of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is touted as the world's tallest. It is twice the height of the Statue of Liberty in the US. The total project cost is estimated to be Rs. 2,989 crore. The statue depicts Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Home Minister, wearing a traditional dhoti and shawl, towering over river Narmada.

Here are some of the pictures of Statue of Unity:

It is 177 feet higher than China's Spring Temple Buddha, which was the tallest statue till now. It is situated 3.32 kilometers from the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat. Iron was collected from all over the country for the statue of Sardar Patel. The panels of the Statue of Unity were cast in a foundry in China.

Get Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.</s>Actor Siddharth was trolled after he mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that he has reduced Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to an election gimmick with the Statue of Unity.

The Statue of Unity is a monument dedicated to Indian independence movement leader Vallabhbhai Patel. Located in Gujarat, the surroundings of the statue occupies over 20,000 square metres, and is surrounded by a 12 square km artificial lake. It is the world's tallest statue with a height of 182 metres.

The Statue of Unity, which was designed by Indian sculptor Ram V Sutar, was inaugurated by Narendra Modi, on 31st October, 2018 on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Siddharth, who often expresses his views on current affairs, took to his Twitter account on October 30 to mock the Prime Minister for wasting the public money and using it for his election campaigns.

Siddharth tweeted, "Arguably the most wasteful & disrespectful way to celebrate one of India's greatest leaders will be unveiled today in #Gujarat. #SardarPatel has been reduced to an election gimmick by #BJP. #Sardar and our farmers deserve better! This is a statue of #Modi in disguise. Rs. 3000cr!"

However, Siddharth's views did not go down well with many neitizens, who blasted the actor in their reply. They condemned him for his ignorance and lack of historical sense. They said that one family has been deified with monuments, airports, toilets, ports, bridges dedicated for 70 years. The family ignored Sardar Patel, who united over 550 provinces post-independence. Here are some of their comments.

@Actor_Siddharth You have no politico-historical memory and the context in which this great man had to be re-introduced to Indians. For 70 years, only 1 family has been deified with monuments, airports, toilets, ports, bridges dedicated. This historical wrong had to be corrected @jsaideepak Nehru family usurped entire political legacy and goodwill of freedom movement and early founding of Indian republic; this historical injustice had to be corrected. @Actor_Siddharth you are even talking about him bcos @narendramodi has re-introduced Patel to Indians</s>Ahmedabad, Oct 31: Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the 'Statue of Unity' at Kevadiya in Gujarat today. The 182-metre statue of Vallabhbhai Patel will be "dedicated to the nation" on his birth anniversary in Narmada district of Gujarat.

The Sardar Patel statue, twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty, has been built at a cost of Rs. 2,989 crore and is located in Gujarat, 3.2 km downstream of the Narmada dam.

Also Read Statue of Unity inauguration LIVE: 'The statue will tell the world about Sardar Patel's qualities'

PM Modi also did a virtual "abhishek" of the statue with the help of a lever. Also present at the venue are BJP chief Amit Shah, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Deputy CM Nitinbhai Patel. The guests were also presented with mementoes that were made of the same metal that was used to clad the statue. Just like Patel's idol, the mementoes will not age for the next 100 years.

The prime minister will perform a special prayer at the feet of the Statue of Unity and visit the museum and exhibition, and the viewers' gallery. The gallery, at 153 metres, can accommodate up to 200 people at a time and offers a spectacular view of the Sardar Sarovar Dam, its reservoir, and the Satpura and Vindhya mountain ranges.

Earlier in the day, a cultural programme was organised at the venue for the PM, following which took a walk through the tent city. Before reaching Gujarat in a chopper, he tweeted, "We bow to the great Sardar Patel, the stalwart who unified India and served the nation tirelessly, on his Jayanti." He also paid tribute to former PM Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary.</s>On the 193rd anniversary of his birth, a likeness of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at 182 metres tall will be unveiled as the largest statue in the world bar none.

The “Iron Man of India”, a moniker the first deputy prime minister of the country earned through his commitment to national integration in the Forties, will in fact be clad entirely in bronze when dedicated by Shri Narendra Modi on Wednesday morning; 1,850 tonnes of bronze to be precise.

That figure is not the most mind-boggling concerned with the construction of the Statue of Unity, built on Sadhu Island, in the western state of Gujarat.

At 182 metres, the statue will measure twice the height of the Statue of Liberty and nine times that of the Angel of the North. It will be more than 50 metres taller than China’s Spring Temple Buddha, the world’s current record holder, at 128 metres.

Costing £226.9million and built in just 33 months, the semblance of the political and social leader consists of 1,700 tonnes of bronze, 18,500 of reinforced steel and 6,500 of structured steel - some crowd-sourced from local villages in the form of farming tools as part of a tribute to Patel's social work. The interior is filled with 180,000 cubic metres of concrete.

It towers over the nearby Narmada Dam, in the Shoolpaneshwar wildlife sanctuary, and will be connected by bridge to a museum and audio-visual gallery, three-star hotel and garden in Patel’s honour. There will also be a “laser, light and sound show on the efforts of Unification of India”.

The Statue of Unity website, which has given the structure the tagline, “the statue as grand as the stature”, says: “Built in less than five years, it is the world’s tallest, grandest and giant statue. It is a tribute to the man who united India, Sardar Patel.”

But the project has not been without its detractors, with some accusing Modi of expensive political maneuvering.

Mohan Gurumurthy of the Centre for Policy Alternatives told the Telegraph in 2013 that Sardar Patel himself would have objected to money being spent in this way. “If he had been alive, Patel would never approve millions to be spent on his statue,” he said.

It is hoped the statue will bring wealth in the form of tourism to the area, with a viewing tower 150 metres up offering vistas across the remote, hilly terrain, including a reported “selfie point”. The state government is building a two-mile high way for tourists to reach the statue from the nearby town of Kevadia, while it can also be reached by boat across the Sardar Sarovar reservoir. There will also be a nearby helipad.

Built by Larsen and Toubro, the Statue of Unity has been designed to withstand winds of 180k/hour, akin to a category 3 storm, as well as 6.5 magnitude earthquakes.

Sculptor Ram V Sutar consulted around 2,000 photos of Sardar Patel, as well as contacting historians and people who had seen him, to perfect the face of the statue.

Tickets to access the statue will cost R350 (£18.70) for adults and children

The Statue of Unity project said: “As a memorial to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the statue will not only remind every individual of our great nation's freedom struggle but will also inspire the people of our country to inculcate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's visionary ideologies of unity, patriotism, inclusive growth and good governance.

“This monument will not just be a mute memorial like the rest, but a fully functional, purpose-serving tribute that will spur all round socio-economic development, in the form of better connectivity, healthcare and education infrastructure, research centre for agriculture development and various tribal development initiatives.”</s>Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday dedicated to the nation a 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, believed to be the tallest in the world, and said it will be a reminder about the courage of a man who thwarted efforts to disintegrate India.

Gujarat Governor O P Kohli, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and BJP chief Amit Shah were present at the unveiling of the 'Statue of Unity'.

Had Sardar Patel not united the country, we would need visas to see lions or pay homage at Somnath or view the Charminar in Hyderabad, the prime minister said.

He added that the statue will remind those who question India's existence that this nation was, is and will remain eternal.

He described the Statue of Unity as a symbol of the country's engineering and technical capabilities.

The imposing monument is twice the height of the Statue of Liberty in the US and is built on an islet, Sadhu Bet, near the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat's Narmada district.

It 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.

A viewing gallery has been created at a height of 135 metres inside the statue to enable tourists to have a view of the dam and nearby mountain ranges.</s>It is four times taller than the Statue of Liberty. So big, in fact, that it will give India bragging rights to the world’s tallest statue – a nearly 600-foot creation that says as much about India’s global aspirations as it does about the political ego of its leader. It may seem like a natural choice for an outsize tribute.

India’s new Statue of Unity, to be formally unveiled on Wednesday, depicts Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, an independence-era leader credited with uniting the fledgling nation in the 1940s when he served as India’s first home minister. But the homage to Patel has far deeper symbolism.

Patel, known as India’s “Iron Man,” has become a right-wing icon for Hindu nationalists. And the statue’s location, in the western state of Gujarat, has been the site of some of the fiercest clashes between Hindus and Muslims in past decades.

The $408 million gold-colored colossus also spills over into present-day politics. It is seen as a trifecta for Prime Minister Narendra Modi: a nod to his Hindu political base, a landmark site in his home state, and a showcase of the nation’s growing prosperity and status as a rising global power.

“This memorial to Sardar [Patel] is going to become a worldwide tourist attraction,” boasted PM Modi in a promotional video in Hindi about the Statue of Unity.

“See our height, measure this nation’s height. This is what we want,” he added.

Hindol Sengupta, author of a Patel biography, said projects such as the Statue of Unity are PM Modi’s way of trumpeting India’s ascent.

“When Modi says he wants India to take its rightful place as “vishwa guru,” or world teacher, he actually means it . . . in Modi’s worldview this statue is a crucial part of the signaling of the rise of India and the presenting before the world that rise in visual terms.”

The Statue of Unity will stand at 597 feet, or 177 feet higher than the current world’s tallest statue, China’s Spring Temple Buddha in the central Henan province.

Ironically, the bronze cladding for the Patel statue was shipped from China because Indian foundries lack the expertise and equipment to go this big.

The Statue of Unity is being assembled by around 4,000 laborers working around the clock. The golden Statue of Unity depicts Patel, wearing a traditional Indian dhoti wrap around his legs and a shawl, towering over the Narmada River.

In 2013, ahead of the previous general election, PM Modi sent trucks all over India to collect scrap metal for the structure.

According to the statue’s makers, the metal was melted and used to create the structure’s base – a symbolic act to represent the nation.

A museum and audiovisual gallery underneath the statue will showcase Patel’s life story and his contributions to India’s independence struggle.

Wednesday’s unveiling also is viewed as the unofficial launch of PM Modi’s campaign for re-election next year. He already has another giant statue of a warrior king in the state of Maharashtra, set to be ready by 2021.

Some critics cringe at the images intended to project wealth and power. Art historian Shukla Sawant called it “paternalistic” public art.

“It’s the size matters, kind of a nonsensical, idea of power,” said Sawant, a professor of visual studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

Still, PM Modi seems to relish the big-splash attention of the projects.

“If Sardar Patel had become the prime minister, today a part of our beloved Kashmir would not have been under Pakistani occupation,” PM Modi said to Parliament in February.

The statement was a dig at India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, whose vision for a secular, multi-faith India clashes with the pro-Hindu politics of PM Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP.

The Statue of Unity is a near-replica of a Patel statue at an airport in the nearby Gujarat city of Ahmedabad.

“Vallabhbhai Patel, through the sheer act of unifying the modern nation state of India, is more Lincolnesque than most people realize,” said Anil Ram Sutar, son of the nonagenarian sculptor who designed the new statue.

“So this is Modi’s Lincoln memorial,” he added.</s>Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday will dedicate to the nation the Statue of Unity, a 182-metre-tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which is also the world's tallest statue so far.

The imposing monument is twice the height of the Statue of Liberty and is built on an islet, Sadhu Bet, near the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Narmada district. After Modi unveils the statue, three IAF planes will fly past, said an official release Tuesday. Modi will also inaugurate the 'Wall of Unity' near the statue. At that time, three Jaguar fighter jets will fly past the structure at a low altitude, said the release.

After inaugurating the Wall of Unity, Modi would offer floral tributes to Patel, whose birth anniversary falls on 31 October. At the same time, two MI-17 helicopters will shower flowers, the release added. On the occasion, cultural and musical programmes will be performed by the bands of the Gujarat Police, armed and paramilitary forces. There will be dance and musical performances by artists drawn from 29 states and two Union Territories.

Modi, who landed in Ahmedabad on Tuesday night, is also scheduled to visit the 'Wall of Unity' which is built with soil collected from more than a lakh villages across the country in 2013-14, The Indian Express reported.

Governors of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat and at least 140 Gujaratis living in 38 cities across 20 states will be a part of the inauguration event, the report said.

Some of the other major attractions include the inauguration of a 17-kilometre-long Valley of Flowers, a tent city for tourists near the statue and a museum dedicated to the life and times of Patel. A viewing gallery at a height of 135 metres has been created inside the statue to enable tourists to have a view of the dam and nearby mountain ranges.

There will also be bhavans made near the statute for various states, built by some state governments on the Gujarat government’s invitation. Reportedly, Uttar Pradesh and Nagaland have already accepted the proposal.

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 metric tonnes of bronze, which was used for the outer cladding of the structure, according to the government statement. The statue's construction had received opposition from some tribal groups in Narmada district.

Meanwhile, local tribal leaders have announced a boycott of Wednesday's event claiming "mass destruction" of natural resources due to the project. In an open letter addressed to Modi, sarpanches of 22 villages situated near the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada river have said villagers will not welcome the prime minister when he arrives for the function. "We villagers want to tell you with extreme grief that we will not welcome you on 31 October. Even if you come here like an unwanted guest, you are not welcome here," said the common letter signed by sarpanches of the villages of Narmada district, located around 200 kilometres from Ahmedabad. The area still lacks basic facilities like schools, hospitals and drinking water, they alleged.</s>Kevadiya: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated an imposing 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, the world's tallest, and said it will serve as a reminder about his courage to thwart conspiracy to disintegrate India.

He used the occasion to slam those criticising the decision to build the monument, questioning whether any crime had been committed by constructing such memorials for national heroes like Patel.

The imposing monument, named as the 'Statue of Unity' and built on an islet Sadhu Bet near Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat's Narmada district, is much higher than even the Statue of Liberty in the US.

The monument was conceptualised by PM Modi during his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister and he had laid the foundation stone for it in 2013.

Patel, the first Home Minister of Independent India, is credited with merging 500 princely states into the Union of India. He had used force to annex princely states of Junagadh ruled by Nawab and Hyderabad ruled by nizam, both of whom had wished not to merge their states with the India union.

The ceremony, which coincided with the 143rd birth anniversary of Patel, also known as the 'Iron man of India, was attended by Gujarat Governor O P Kohli, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and BJP chief Amit Shah besides a number of other leaders hailing from Gujarat.

"The world's tallest statue would remind the entire world, the future generations about the courage, capabilities and resolution of the person who did this holy work of thwarting the conspiracy to disintegrate Mother India into pieces," the prime minister said addressing a gathering after inaugurating the monument.

"The statue will remind those who question India's existence, that this nation was, is and will remain eternal," Modi said.

"This (statue) is a source of unity...With this sentiment we should march...And march with a dream to make the country 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' (One India, Superior India)," he added.

PM Modi said his government has taken up the cause of bringing to life the history and contributions of great personalities.

"During the last four years, our government has set up many memorials of our national heroes, including this sky-high statue of Sardar Patel, his museum in Delhi, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar's Panch Tirth and a memorial dedicated to son of Gujarat's soil, Shyamji Krishna Varma," he said.

He then listed various other upcoming memorials and initiatives, such as Chhatrapati Shivaji's statue in Mumbai and a museum dedicated to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

"But, to my surprise, some people of this country are seeing our movement through the political glasses. We are criticized for praising the contributions of national heroes like Sardar Patel. We are made to feel as if we have committed a serious crime," he said.

He then posed a question to the audience, "You tell me, is it a crime to remember our national heroes?"

To this, the audience replied in the negative.

"It was the sentiment of crores of Indians that the man who united the country should get honour he deserved," Modi said.

He said it was the responsibility of the people to give a befitting reply to the efforts "aimed at dividing the country".

PM Modi said if Patel had not united the country, the countrymen would have needed visas to see lions in Junagadh or pay homage at Somnath in Gujarat or view the Charminar in Hyderabad.

Remembering Sardar Patel's contribution in uniting the country by annexing over 550 princely states, PM Modi said the great leader had "successfully foiled a conspiracy to divide India in to pieces."

Sardar Patel had used force to annex princely states of Junagadh ruled by Nawab and Hyderabad ruled by nizam, both of whom had wished not to merge their states with the India union.

The prime minister said Patel had a mix of diplomatic skills of Kautilya, a statesman and philosopher, and the valour of warrior King Shivaji in him.

PM Modi described the 'Statue of Unity' as a symbol of the country's engineering and technical capabilities.

He said his government is treading the path shown by Sardar Patel.

"Like Sardar Patel united the country geographically by merging erstwhile princely states, we have united the country economically by bringing in GST," the PM said.

"We are expanding Sardar Patel's resolve of uniting the country by introducing various schemes, such as One Nation One Grid, eNAM and Bharatmala. Through such schemes of connecting the country, we are committed to make Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat(One India Best India)" he said.

The statue 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.

A viewing gallery has been created at a height of 135 metres inside the statue to enable tourists to have a view of the dam and nearby mountain ranges.

Hailing farmers, Modi said lakhs of them from across India came together, gave their tools, parts of their land in order to build the statue.

PM Modi also suggested the Gujarat government to set up a "virtual museum", near the statue, in the memory of all the erstwhile royals who had given up their states for a united India.

In his speech, Modi stressed that the statue would generate immense employment opportunities for the local tribals living near the dam in Narmada district.

"Tourism activities would also change the lives of locals here. This will also spread the indigenous knowledge across the world. I am confident that this statue will become a centre to improve agriculture as well as the lives of local tribals here," Modi said.

PM Modi had initially envisioned building of the statue by carving out a large rock near the dam.

"I visited the mountain ranges of this area to find a large rock which can be carved into a statue. After an intense search, I realized that the rocks are not strong enough. Thus, I changed my idea and came up with this thought(of building statue using concrete, steel and bronze)" said Modi.

After his speech, Modi walked upto the base of the statue and offered floral tributes to Sardar Patel. He also visited a museum built beneath the statue and a viewing gallery created at a height of 135 metres inside the statue.</s>AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to unveil the Statue of Unity - the world’s tallest statue - in Gujarat's Kevadiya on Wednesday. The statue with a height of 182 metres (597 feet) will be inaugurated on the occasion of the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Catch the Live Streaming of unveiling of 'Statue of Unity' in Gujarat by PM Modi on Zee News

A 'Run For Unity' is also being held across the country as a fitting tribute to Sardar Patel - the country's first Home Minister.

Sardar Patel's 143rd birth anniversary Live Updates: PM Narendra Modi to unveil 'Statue of Unity' in Gujarat

Elaborate security arrangements have also been put in place in Kevadiya ahead of the inauguration. Apprehending protests, the Gujarat Police have detained several tribal leaders and activists in the Narmada district ahead of the inauguration of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel`s statue. The police went knocking on the doors of several tribal activists and leaders in Kevadia, Rajpipla and Dediapada talukas (blocks), detaining them under IPC 68, fearing disruption of the government programmes on Wednesday.

On the occasion of the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while paying homage to the freedom fighter, hailed him as the "stalwart who unified India.""We bow to the great Sardar Patel, the stalwart who unified India and served the nation tirelessly, on his Jayanti," he tweeted.</s>At 597 feet or 182 metres, the Statue of Unity will be the world's tallest statue

New Delhi: As a tribute to freedom movement icon Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 143rd birth anniversary today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil the 'Statue of Unity', which at 182 metres is the tallest statue in the world. The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel statue, twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty, has been built at a cost of Rs 2,389 crore and is located 3.2 km downstream of the Narmada dam in Gujarat.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Statue of Unity, which depicts the first Deputy Prime Minister of India and winner of the highest civilian award of the Republic of India, the Bharat Ratna, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, becomes the world's largest statue. The statue is located near the Narmada Dam in the Indian state of Gujarat.