Statue of Unity

Completed in 2018 on an island in the Narmada below the Sardar Sarovar dam, the statue depicts Vallabhbhai Patel, the first deputy prime minister of India, and stands 182 metres on a base that takes the total higher, which makes it the tallest statue in the world, roughly twice the height of the Statue of Liberty. It is built on a steel frame with reinforced concrete and a cladding of bronze panels, cast in China and assembled on site. A lift climbs to a viewing gallery in the chest at around 153 metres, looking over the dam, the river and the Satpura and Vindhya hills.

History

The statue depicts Vallabhbhai Patel, who lived from 1875 to 1950 and was the first deputy prime minister of independent India. It was designed by the sculptor Ram V. Sutar and built by Larsen & Toubro from October 2013, its bronze cladding cast in a foundry in China and assembled near the site, and it was inaugurated on 31 October 2018, on what would have been Patel's 143rd birthday (Wikipedia, Statue of Unity).

Highlights

• The statue - 182 metres of bronze-clad figure above the river.
• The chest gallery - a viewing level at around 153 metres, reached by lift.
• The Sardar Sarovar dam - the dam immediately upstream.
• The valley view - the Narmada and the surrounding hills from the top.

When to go

October to March; Gujarat summers are severe. The site closes on Mondays for maintenance. Viewing gallery tickets are limited daily and sell out at weekends and holidays.

Before you go

Gallery tickets are capped and queues are long; booking online in advance is effectively necessary. The surrounding area has been heavily developed with paid attractions. Haze often limits the view.

Nearby

Vadodara lies north; Champaner is northeast.

Key facts