Last Updated: March 03, 2023, 10:00 AM IST
The statue core has two high-speed passenger elevators that can carry 26 people each at a time and take you to the Iron Man’s chest. (Nivedita Singh/News18)
An interesting fact that connects this statue with the common man was that the state government had asked Indian farmers to donate their used farming equipment to collect the iron needed for the statue. Eventually, about 5,000 tonnes of iron is believed to be collected
The Statue of Unity, standing tall against the backdrop of the Satpura and Vindhyachal hills over Narmada River, was a sight to behold on the third day of our trip — a panacea for sore eyes that compensated for a hot and sunny day.
After staying at the hotel in Vadodara overnight, we checked out in the morning after breakfast and boarded a bus for Kevadia at around 10am. Around 12.30pm, we reached Ekta Nagar Railway station and stayed there for around an hour for lunch. At 2.30pm, we finally reached the statue.
The larger-than-life statue of Vallabhbhai Patel, around 2.5 times the height of Qutub Minar and facing the grand Sardar Sarovar Dam — his dream project — was inaugurated in 2018.
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The 182m statue is the world’s tallest and was built as an ode to the Iron Man of India, who was also the first home minister of independent India. The Statue of Unity is 23 metres taller than the Spring Temple Buddha in China and double the height of the Statue of Liberty in the United States.
The colossal monument overlooks the vast surrounds, the river basin of the Narmada River and the sprawling Sardar Sarovar Dam. Standing on the Sadhu Bet hillock, it is connected by a 300-metre bridge from the mainland.
An interesting fact that connects this statue with the common man was that the state government had asked Indian farmers to donate their used farming equipment to collect the iron needed for the statue. Eventually, about 5,000 tonnes of iron is believed to be collected.
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While the outside of the statue was a beautiful sight, inside it was a museum.
From the several guides sharing details about the grand structure, we learnt that the height of the statue was decided to be 182 metres as Gujarat has 182 seats in the Legislative Assembly.
We were also told that it is the only statue where the visitors can feel the structure from inside and also touch the feet of the statue.
There is an observation deck or viewing gallery that is located at a height of 135 metres near the chest of the statue. When looked at from the outside, the gallery is between the second and third button of Sardar Patel’s jacket.
“Woh sab Bharat waalon ko apne dil me rakhna chahte the (He wanted to keep all Indians in his heart). Aaj aap unke dil mein khade hokar unke dil ke sapne ko dekh sakte ho (Today, by standing in his heart, you can see his wish — the dam),” said one of the guides.
The panoramic view from the gallery includes the dam, the reservoir, the hills and Narmada.
But how do we reach his heart? The statue core has two high-speed passenger elevators that can carry 26 people each at a time and take you to the Iron Man’s chest.
This statue can withstand earthquakes measuring 6.5 on the Richter Scale and winds of up to 180 km/h. The structure is so grand that it is visible from a radius of approximately seven kilometres, they added.
What’s for Day 4?
On Friday, we will visit Somnath Temple and Somnath beach. Bhalka Tirth is also on the list.
News18 is travelling with the IRCTC-operated Bharat Gaurav ‘Garvi Gujarat’ train. The eight-day journey started on Tuesday and will cover major tourist destinations of the western Indian state.
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