Statue of Unity

Statue of Unity is the statue of the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. It is located on Sadhu Bet, a river island which stands at a distance of around 100 km from Vadodara. It is by far the tallest statues constructed in the world.

Narendra Modi came up with the proposal to construct a huge statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He announced the project on 7th October 2010. The project was named, “Gujarat’s tribute to the nation”.

 The plan garnered support from the public as well as many prominent political leaders. However, the tribal people and farmers living in the area opposed this decision of the Modi government. They organized protests, supported by the politicians from the opposition parties. Despite the criticism and opposition, the construction of this statue finally began in 2014. Several architects and labourers were employed to accomplish the task. The construction of the statue was finally completed in 2018. It was inaugurated by PM Modi on 31st October the same year.

A marathon by the name ‘Run for Unity’ was organized in Surat on the 15th December 2013, to support of the Statue of Unity project. Since then, it’s been held each year on the 31st of October and is dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

On 31st October 2018 when Sardar Patel’s statue was unveiled in Gujarat, Run for Unity was organized in the National capital. Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Home Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off the event. Around 12,000 people participated in the marathon.

Statue of Unity which was inaugurated on the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, has garnered immense popularity. It was opened for public from the 1st of November and has been flooded with tourists ever since. People from around the world are visiting this place to see this architectural marvel. It has become a major attraction for the tourists. Its popularity can be judged by the number of tourists visiting here.

As many as 128, 000 tourists visited this monument within 11 days of its inauguration. Modi envisioned that the construction of the statue would help in boosting the state’s tourism which would be beneficial for the people living there.

The monument is closed for visitors only on Mondays.

Statue of Unity is drawing worldwide attention. It is being appreciated for its tall structure and architectural excellence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has certainly added a feather in the cap of the nation by accomplishing this project.