All about the Statue of Unity Gujarat | The complete Statue of Unity Guide

Tall and mighty, he towered over his neighbours
His wise eyes rejoicing the fruits of his labour.
His dream of merging the diverse community
Was finally, sealed forever in the Statue of Unity.  

A Tribute to the Iron Man of India - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Welcome to the World's tallest statue - The Statue of Unity Gujarat. 

It is not surprising that the Statue of Unity in Gujarat has made it to the list of must-visit places for many travelers’, including Yours Truly. For one, I wanted to experience the sheer scale of the tallest statue in the World. And then, there was some astonishing Statue of Unity facts that add to the lure of this Sardar Patel Statue in Gujarat. For many, the draw lies in the additional places to see around Statue of Unity like the themed gardens, the Sardar Sarovar Dam and the eco-town of Kevadia (now called Ektanagar). If you are one of those travelers looking to satiate your curiosity, then this Statue of Unity guide is all that you will need to plan your trip here.

Travel Guide to Statue of Unity Gujarat

A Statue of Unity tour does require a bit of planning for it isn’t just about seeing the gigantic sculpture. There are plenty of other places to see near the Statue of Unity and each of these requires you to pre-book tickets. This travel guide to the Statue of Unity (SOU) introduces these attractions in brief and gives you tips on getting around Ektanagar, where to stay and how to book Statue of Unity tickets.

For those, who are still confused about visiting the tallest statue in the World, I urge you to embark on this virtual Statue of Unity tour. I am sure that you will find your own reason as to why you need to visit this epic monument in Gujarat. So without much ado, let’s get started.

Who is Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel?

Born in Nadiad, Gujarat on October 31, 1875, his full name was Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel. He grew up and completed his early education in Gujarat itself. He passed his first law exam – the district pleader’s exam in 1900 and set up his independent practice. Vallabhbhai Patel married early – at 16 and had two kids. Sadly, he lost his wife in 1908 and remained a widower for the rest of his life. In 1910, he moved to Middle Temple UK to study advanced law after which he came back to Ahmedabad, India.

He soon became a renowned criminal lawyer but remained indifferent to political uprisings till 1917. He became the first Indian municipal commissioner then. In 1928, he earned the title of Sardar after he led the Civil disobedience movement in Bardoli. After this, he became an active participant in the movements against the British to free India. This included the popular Quit India Movement in 1942.

After India became independent, he acted as a Deputy prime minister. He is best known as the person who helped merge over 500 princely states into one single United India. Later, he took on the role of the first Home Minister of Free India. His contribution earned him the title of “Iron Man of India”. It is this man – Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who has been immortalized through the World’s tallest statue – The Statue of Unity.

History of Statue of Unity in Kevadia

It was in October 2013, that the then Chief Minister of Gujarat – Narendra Modiji announced the mega project to build the tallest Sardar Patel statue in Gujarat. A few days later on Sardar Patel’s 138th birth anniversary, the first foundation stone was laid by Modiji at Kevadia. A trust called Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust (SVPRET) was formed to execute this project. One of the key tasks undertaken by them in conjunction with the Gujarat Government was to collect scrap iron from the villagers in India. By 2016, around 135 metric tonnes of iron were collected from farmers who discarded their old farming equipment.

Numerous events like the Run for Unity were conducted to gather funds. Larsen and Toubro (L&T) won the bid for the construction in 2014 and under the supervision of a consortium formed by Meinhardt Group, Turner Construction and Michael Graves and Associates the project began. Several locals and tribes from the Tadvi tribe, Limdi and Kevadia opposed the development. However, despite the opposition, the project took shape and finally, on Sardar Patel’s 143rd birthday in 2018, Modiji inaugurated the mighty Statue of Unity. It is not only a dedication to the Iron Man of India but is an icon of India’s engineering and technical capabilities.

Interesting Statue of Unity Facts

There are some pretty astounding facts about the Statue of Unity Gujarat that has put it on the radar of many travelers. In fact, some of these are what made my own Statue of Unity visit interesting. Check them out –

• The SOU stands 182 m above the ground. It is twice the size of the famous Statue of Liberty. It beat the former tallest statue of Spring Temple Buddha in China by 29 m
• The Sardar Patel statue was completed in a record time of 3 and a half years. This includes the time from planning to construction and finally, the inauguration of the statue.
• It was designed by Ram V Suthar – a Padma Shri awardee, who went on to get a Padma Bhushan award too in 2016.
• The Statue of Unity is located between Vindhya and Satpura hills in Kevadia. It faces the Sardar Sarovar Dam that has been built on the Narmada River.
• Over 3000 workers were involved in building this tallest statue in the World. This includes 300 odd engineers from L&T
• The Statue of Unity in Kevadia has been made using 130 tonnes of scrap iron gathered from over 100 million farmers residing across 169,000 Indian villages.
• The manner in which this Statue has been constructed allows it to withstand earthquakes and winds of around 100 km per second.
• In around 100 years, the statue will turn completely green. This is owing to the natural oxidation of the Bronze cover that the statue has.
• At 153 m, there is a viewing gallery inside Statue of Unity. There are four high-speed lifts that take you to this gallery in under 30 seconds.
• The zone around Statue of Unity has been declared as India’s first electric vehicle zone. You cannot get your own vehicle here unless it is an EV. To commute around the statue, you can either hire one of the electric autos or get onto the hop-on bus.
• Talking of Electric autos, most of the autos at the Statue of Unity are driven by local women. This is a part of the initiative to provide skills and training to the locals around Kevadia.

Interesting – right? – especially the one about the Viewing Gallery. Wait till I tell you about what I saw from inside the Statue of Unity.

How was the Statue of Unity built? | Architecture of Statue of Unity

It was the design of the Indian sculptor – Ram V. Sutar that was selected to make the Statue of Unity. The design is a giant replica of the statue that is present at the Ahmedabad airport. It brings forth the steely determination of Sardar Patel while reflecting a certain softness and kindness through his eyes.

The construction of SOU began on Sadhu Bet – a small island along the Narmada river. The place was located between Satpura and Vindhya hills. To create a firm base, the island was chiseled down to a flat 55m from a peak of 70 m. Next, the scrap iron that was collected from various villages was used to make the reinforced and structural steel for the core of the statue. Around 210,000 cubic meters of cement, 6500 tonnes of reinforced steel and 18,500 tonnes of structural steel went into this task. The statue was then covered by numerous Bronze plates that were made in a Chinese boundary – Jiangxi Tongqing Metal Handicrafts Co. Ltd.

Inside Statue of Unity | Statue of Unity Tour

There are actually five zones in this Statue of Unity Gujarat. The first three are accessible to the public while the top two are out of bounds. These five zones can be described as –

• Zone One – from the ground floor to Sardar Patel’s feet. This has a memorial garden and a museum.
• Zone Two -From his feet to his thighs. This is at a height of 149 m.
• Zone Three includes the Viewing Gallery at 153 m. This extends from his thighs to his chest.
• Zone Four is at a height of 200 m and can be identified as the area from his chest to his shoulders. This is the maintenance area
• Zone Five is the rest of the statue – i.e his head and shoulders

Zone One and three are the most important when you go inside the Statue of Unity. Zone Two primarily contains the high-speed elevators that take you from the ground floor to the Viewing gallery in around 30 seconds. There are two elevators in each leg that can accommodate around 26 people each.

The Statue of Unity Museum in Zone One

A large bronze head of Sardar Patel is the centerpiece of the ground floor where the museum is located. A replica of the gigantic statue, this is where you can admire the contrast of emotions depicted on Sardar Patel’s face. The kindness that reflects in his eyes and the grit and determination in his smile. One can also, admire the finer details like the wise wrinkles on his forehead and the finer lines of experience on his face.

Around the statue are exhibits that chronicle his life and achievements. The museum also, has a 15-minute audio-visual presentation of the same. A few of these exhibits also, detail the construction of this mammoth Statue of Unity.

Statue of Unity Memorial Garden in Zone One

The memorial garden of the Sardar Patel Statue Gujarat can be seen from the outside as well. However, when you are inside the Statue, you need take the elevator to the mezzanine floor and step out. On one side, you will see the landscaped green garden and the other side takes you right up to the feet of the Statue of Unity. I highly recommend climbing up the short flight of stairs at the memorial garden, right up to his feet. Then, you must look up to experience the full scale of this gargantuan statue. Believe me, it is mind-blowing!

In that moment of awe, I almost missed the details of the Statue’s feet. The perfectly shaped toes, conspicuous toenails and the typical Indian chappals that go with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s desi attire. Talk of attention to detail!

The viewing gallery inside Statue of Unity – Zone three

32 seconds is what my watch said as I zipped up in one of those high-speed elevators from the ground floor to the Statue of Unity viewing gallery in Zone three. The gallery can hold around 200 people at a time. From here, you get a view of the Sardar Sarovar dam on river Narmada as well as the two mountain ranges of Satpura and Vindhya.

Statue of Unity Laser Show – an unmissable part of the SOU Tour

This Statue of Unity guide will not be complete if I have not shared that one unmissable part of visiting the Sardar Patel Statue. I am talking about the Statue of Unity Laser Show. This is a 30 minute light and sound show that takes place every evening using the Statue Of Unity as its screen. Using the first of its kind high brightness projector, the Statue of Unity Laser show adds life to the stunning statue, literally showcasing Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel from his young lawyer self to becoming the Iron Man of India.

The delightful storytelling mixed with the right acoustic scores makes this Statue of Unity Laser show so interesting that you will not be able to tear your eyes off the statue. There are around 51 projectors that have been placed 600m from the statue for this show. The high-end projectors can withstand any weather conditions.

Ekta Cruise – A 180-degree tour of the Statue of Unity

Another way to enjoy the full scale of the World’s tallest statue is by taking the Ekta cruise on Narmada River. This cruise allows you a 180 degree view of the statue, from its back to the front of the statue. There are two options that you can avail of for this cruise –

• Unity 1 – a large vessel that seats around 200 passengers and has an upper and a lower deck. The total time taken to cover a distance of 7km from its start at Shreshta Bhavan to the Statue is 40 minutes.
• Unity 2 – a smaller ferry with a capacity of just 25 passengers. This is faster and takes around 25 minutes to cover the same distance.

The cruise has its own entertainment. There are souvenir shops and food stalls on the cruise. One can opt to either take a one-way journey or return on this cruise. The one-way option takes you from Shreshta Bhavan and drops you right at the Statue of Unity. From there you can use the battery-operated golf carts to get to the main statue and continue your tour through the museum and the viewing gallery inside the Statue of Unity.

Places to see near Statue of Unity

While the main tour of the Sardar Patel Statue ends here, I feel this guide will be incomplete if I do not mention the other places to visit near the Statue of Unity. Most of these places have been developed to complement your visit to Statue of Unity and add to some family fun. I will be sharing a detailed post on this section shortly but for now, a quick list.

• Sardar Sarovar Dam
• Unity Glow garden – perfect place to spend an evening
• Vishwa Van – themed garden with unique flora from across 7 continents
• Jungle Safari – an open-air zoo with sections for exotic animals like Kangaroos and tropical birds
• Pet Zoo – A close encounter with friendly animals
• Valley of Flowers – A themed garden with over 300 varieties of flowers and numerous photo points
• Arogya Van – a naturopathy center
• Ekta Nursery – a place to buy local, organic products
• Butterfly park – where you can see over 38 species of these winged beauties
• Cactus garden – has over 400 species of succulent plants – including flowering ones
• Children’s nutrition Park – Nutrition made fun for kids
• Ekta mall – a shopping mall with shops that sell specialities from each state of India
• Narmada Ghats – a little leisure, a little religious with a popular Shiva mandir by its side
• Zarwani Waterfalls – at a distance of 15 km, where you can dip under the cool waters of the cascade.

Hopefully, this brief introduction to the various places around the Statue of Unity has given you an idea of the scale of this destination. I am sure that this has tempted you further to plan a visit to this epic monument – the tallest statue in the World. Let’s move on to the helpful tips section of this travel guide to Statue of Unity.

Common FAQs for the Statue of Unity Gujarat

Travel and Photography Tips

• Statue of Unity is India’s first electric vehicle zone. You will find numerous e-autos and regular hop-on buses around the statue. These work on fixed charges and one will have to use these to move around the place.
• You can even hire bicycles at various points to move around Kevadia
• For aged and disabled, there are wheelchairs available at the Statue of Unity.
• There are numerous water stations around the Statue of Unity. You will also, find small ice cream shops and a Starbucks outlet here.
• You will be able to capture the Statue from various points – the Ekta cruise deck, the ferry point near the Statue, from the Valley of flowers and right at the entrance to the Statue of Unity. I even recommend getting a few shots of the Statue in the evening, when it is all lit up. A wide-angle lens would be ideal but even a basic kit lens does it job.
• There is no additional charge for photography.

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Booking Resources

• Booking.com has some of the Kevadia hotels listed on their site. You could use the given link to browse and book the same.
• Klook.com has various local tours and car bookings available that you can use to book your trip to Statue of Unity. In fact, you can book a complete day tour from a city using the link given.
• For any of your travel needs or general shopping, consider using Amazon through this link.

Klook.com

P.S – I was invited by IndiaTourism Mumbai and Gujarat Tourism to experience the Statue of Unity