The world’s tallest statue – the Statue of Unity – threw open its doors to the public today. At 182 meters, it’s the world’s tallest statue, twice the size of Statue of Liberty.
What are the attractions?
Visitors can take a lift installed inside the statue to reach a viewers’ gallery, close to the chest of the statue, which is 135 metres. There’s a museum and exhibition are also built inside the giant structure, depicting Sardar Patel’s illustrious life. There’s a 17-km long Valley of Flowers and a Tent City.
A visitor can take a lift installed inside the statue which runs at a speed of 4 metres per second to reach a viewers' gallery, close to the chest of the statue, at a height of 135 metres.
There’s a guest house also for people to stay.
Selfie points
The complex has numerous locations for selfies.
How you can reach the Statue of Unity
It’s located 90 km from Vadodara in Gujarat, around 200 km from Ahmedabad and a road trip from Mumbai will be around 429 km long via NH48 and State Highway 63. You can also reach the statue via State Highway 11 and State Highway 63.
Tickets prices
The tickets are available online on www.soutickets.in from Saturday. You can also buy tickets at the location of the statue and from Shrestha Bharat Bhavan complex, which is located near the statue.
Children below 3 – Free
Children above 3 and adults – Rs350 (including entry to observation deck, valley of flowers, the Sardar Patel memorial, museum and audio-visual gallery, the Statue of Unity site and Sardar Sarovar dam)
Basic entry ticket (Valley of Flowers, Sardar Patel memorial, museum and audio-visual gallery, the Statue of Unity site and Sardar Sarovar Dam) Rs 120 for adults, Rs 60 for children below 15
PM Modi launched the statue with huge fanfare on October 31st.
Speaking at a gathering of around 5,000 people at the statue site, the PM said: “I always had a feeling of incompleteness as Sardar Patel’s contribution did not get the place it deserved. But today, through this Statue of Unity, we Indians have given the grace to Sardar Patel’s deeds that they deserve. These moments and this day will be captured in the history books as a golden chapter. I show my gratitude towards all the people of India for this occasion making my idea turn into reality.”
“When India became independent after years of slavery under the British rule, other communities in the world looked upon our nation with the feeling of despondency and feared that India will vanish because of the differences in culture. But Sardar Patel merged 562 princely states into one nation and unified the diversity of India. The weakness was turned into strength by him and he dragged our nation out of that dismay,” Modi added. The PM said people would have needed visas to visit places within the country if it weren’t for Sardar Patel. “Can you ever imagine, if Sardar Patel was not born and had not united the states, we would be forced to seek visa for darshan at Somnath temple, to see lions in Gir sanctuary and to visit Char Minar of Hyderabad. This statue is our tribute to Sardar Patel and testimony of Sardar Patel’s persona, diligence, and concern and service for others,” Modi said.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in his address said: “No such statue will be possible anywhere in the world in the next 40 to 50 years. This statue will give inspiration to coming generations of united India. Those who take inspiration from history create history. We all will get inspiration from Sardar Patel’s contribution to India.”
