'Statue of Unity a symbol of technical excellence', says PM Modi
Ahmedabad, Oct 31: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Statue of Unity, the 182-metre tall statue of Iron Man Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, on Wednesday (October 31). BJP chief Amit Shah, state chief minister Vijay Rupani, deputy CM Nitin Patel, and Madhya Pradesh governor Anandiben Patel are also present on the occasion of 143rd birth anniversary of the 'Iron Man of India'.
October 31 is the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.
Gujarat: Meet the man who sculpted Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's Statue of Unity
Dubbed an 'engineering marvel' by makers Larsen & Toubro, it was built in a record time. Catch all the updates LIVE here as the statue of the Iron Man of India will be unveiled.
Here are the Highlights:
Sardar Patel was a patriot, who fought for a independent, united & secular India. A man with a steely will, tempered by compassion, he was a Congressman to the core, who had no tolerance for bigotry or communalism. On his birth anniversary, I salute this great son of India.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 31, 2018
#WATCH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "if it was not for Sardar Sahab's resolve, then we Indians would have to take visa to see the Gir lions, pray at Somnath, or to see Hyderabad's Charminar". #StatueOfUnity pic.twitter.com/RfAu3tOSyu
— ANI (@ANI) October 31, 2018
Tamil Nadu Ministers Kadambur Raju and Ma Foi K. Pandiarajan at the inauguration ceremony of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's #StatueOfUnity in Gujarat's Kevadiya pic.twitter.com/mjanuLuP90
— ANI (@ANI) October 31, 2018
Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives for inauguration of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's #StatueOfUnity pic.twitter.com/AGCzMWoANd
— ANI (@ANI) October 31, 2018
Gujarat: BJP President Amit Shah, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani & Deputy CM Nitin Patel, and Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel at inauguration of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's #StatueOfUnity pic.twitter.com/VYkQSQGIRD
— ANI (@ANI) October 31, 2018
Glimpses of the ‘Statue of Unity’ that will be dedicated to the nation shortly. pic.twitter.com/UWVYhizMn8
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 31, 2018
#WATCH: Celebrations underway near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's #StatueOfUnity in Gujarat's Kevadiya that will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. #RashtriyaEktaDiwas pic.twitter.com/ioafhMipKd
— ANI (@ANI) October 31, 2018
Here are 7 interesting facts on Statue of Unity:
- The Statue of Unity, built as a tribute to Sardar Vallabhai Patel, is situated 200 kilometres from Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
- Built near the Narmada Dam in Gujarat, it is not only the tallest in the world (twice the size of Statue of Liberty in New York) but also built in shortest time.
- At 597 feet, the SoU is 177 feet taller than China's Spring Temple Buddha statue (currently the tallest in the world) which took 11 years to build.
- The statue is built by infrastructure giant Larsen & Toubro at a cost of Rs 2,989 crore. It is made up of 18,500 tonnes of reinforced steel, 6,500 tonnes of structural steel, 1,700 tonnes of bronze, 1,850 tonnes of bronze cladding made up of some 565 macro & 6,000 micro panels.
- There are two high-speed passenger elevators at the statue's star shaped-core which will take visitors to the chest level where the viewing gallery is located.
- The statue can withstand wind speed of 180 km/ hr. It can survive earthquakes measuring up to 6.5 on the Richter Scale, at a depth of 10 km and within a radius of 12 km of the statue.
- The Rs 3,050 crore project, fully funded by the Gujarat government, was brought to fruition by Padma Bhushan-winning sculptor Ram V Sutar and intricate bronze cladding work by a Chinese foundry, the Jiangxi Toqine Company (JTQ).
About Statue of Unity Tickets:
Post the grand celebration marking the inauguration event, the statue will be open for public visit from November 3. People will have to book tickets online to visit the statue -- at www.soutickets.in.
Entry ticket for adults is priced at Rs 120 while for children (between three to 15 years), it is Rs 60. The ticket includes entry to the 'Valley of Flower', memorial, museum and an audio-visual gallery, SOU site and the Sardar Sarovar Dam. For observation deck view, the ticket is priced at Rs 350.
Statue of Unity: Sardar Vallabhai Patel's Statue Cost, Height, Location, Facts
Tickets to avail the bus services cost Rs 30 for adults and Re 1 for children. If you have booked entry ticket or observation deck ticket, then the bus ticket need not be booked separately.
The Statue of Unity can be visited from 9 am to 6 pm.