Sardar Statue of Unity: Wearing the crown of the world’s tallest statue, it’s the sculpture of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel fondly remembered as the iron man of India.

Statue of Unity symbolizes unity in diversity and is the tribute given to the man who brought the nation together.

INTRODUCTION

Post Independence, the people of India were drifting away, and it was the iron man who took the command. He commendably united the 562 princely states together and formed one nation.

The memorial is thus built to honor the fearless leader for his extreme contribution to India’s struggle in Independence.

ABOUT SARDAR STATUE OF UNITY

The memorial of Sardar Patel hails on the small island of Sadhu Bet close to Narmada city of vibrant Gujarat. It got inaugurated on 31 Oct 2018, which happened to be the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Patel. A project that was declared as “Gujarat’s Tribute to the Nation” in 2013, is the prime attraction of our country nowadays. It has gained its worldwide popularity in no time.

Not only it draws the attention of thousands of tourists every month but it has also opened countless job opportunities for the people of India. The sources say the project gave employment opportunities to nearly 3000 workers. Additionally, around 250 engineers were involved in this project for 42 months.

WHAT YOU WILL FIND IN STATUE OF UNITY GUIDE

Introduction
About the Statue of Unity
Why Visit
Places to visit
Ticket details
Contribution by the Public – Loha Campaign
Accommodation
Best Time to Visit
How To Visit
Conclusion

Picture credits@ Shreyas Macwan

STATUE OF UNITY ENTRY TICKET

Please remember that the Statue of Unity is closed for sightseeing & business. The below picture will give you a complete idea of your travel plan.

WHY VISIT STATUE OF UNITY?

To Experience The Tallest Statue of the World:
The massive structure that leaves you awestruck, enjoys a height of 182 m and makes it the tallest statue in the world.

The statue is almost 30 m taller than the Spring Temple Buddha of China and doubles the size of the Statue of Liberty. This symbolic monument can also face up the wind velocity up to 60 m per second.

Patriotism Calling:
Agree to it or not, any talk related to our Independence and freedom fighters melts our heart in seconds. This huge monument not only reminds us of a great leader, however, of all his sacrifices. All the efforts he put to make us free and most importantly to keep us united is commendable.

Mesmerizing Scenic Views:
Indeed it’s the world’s tallest statue, and its skyscraping height is the hottest topic to discuss. However, this is not the sole factor you would get to witness around this stunning beauty. This popular tourist spot is a fantastic amalgamation of nature and the concrete world at the same time. At one place where you see this sky touching magnificent monument, your eyes get affixed to the breathtaking views of Satpura and Vindhyachal ranges. The dazzling Narmada river flowing across is an absolute eye-pleasing sight.

Photographer’s Delight:
The traveler hotspot could be a photographer’s delight and has some fabulous scenic viewpoints to capture in the cameras. With an array of beautiful flowers, the valley offers plenty of selfie points for photo lovers.

It is equipped with modern technologies and facilities like conveyors and lifts for passengers that save you from the scorching heat as well as saves time. Additionally, has a fully air-conditioned food court that serves its guests with refreshments and beverages and provides sufficient parking space.

They also offer wheelchairs to old people and to those needing special attention. In addition to this, they have choppers facilities accessible at an extra cost of Rs 2,900 per adult.

Picture credits@ Shreyas Macwan

PLACES TO VISIT AROUND SARDAR STATUE OF UNITY

Colorful & vibrant Gujarat has some superb tourist spots including Gandhi Ashram, Akshardham, Dwarka temple, Somnath temple, Diu and Gir National Park. The statue of unity is a new addition to Gujarat tourism that has won the heart of the whole nation. Other than the great Statue of Unity, you may also like to visit these fabulous places inside the campus.

#1 Wall of Unity: A huge wall of unity is made near the main statue of unity that has a dimension of 50 ft * 15 ft. The soil and iron collected by 1,69, 078 villages from different parts of India are used in its formation.

#2 Museum: The museum takes you to the world of Sardar Patel, and a collection of flashback pictures and videos is shown to the visitors. His contribution as a freedom fighter is not hidden from any of us however what percentage of people really know about our first deputy prime minister of India? This audiovisual show looks to be an ideal source to know more about him and seal the memories in our hearts forever.

The museum additionally displays some interesting facts about the Statue of Unity and Sarovar Dam. It is an air-conditioned museum with comfortable seating arrangements done in case you like to laze around for a while.

#3 Light and Sound Show: Another exciting part of this place is the light and sound show that begins at 7 in the evening. It’s a one hour show depicting the life of Sardar Patel and talks regarding his contribution to our country.

#4 Valley of Flower: Covering an area of 230 hectares, this 17 km stretch of colorful flowers reminds you of the mesmeric Kashmir. This place is very close to the Sarovar dam and is a great place to surrender yourself to the mother nature and revel in the calmness around. Valley of the flower is a treat for the nature lovers and photography enthusiasts and has some selfie points for the selfie lovers.

#5 Sardar Sarovar Dam View Point: From this viewpoint, one could enjoy a spectacular view of one of the world’s largest concrete gravity dam. The Sarovar dam is 1.2 km long and contains a height of 163 ft. During Monsoons, the view of this gorgeous dam leaves you spellbound. You may also prefer to take a glance at the Godbole Gate that releases water from the dam and the River Bed Power House that has a capacity of 1200 MW.

#6 Souvenir Shop: After the day well spent with the memories of a great leader of our country, one may head towards the souvenir shop that has a collection of t-shirts and gifts.

Picture credits@ Shreyas Macwan

TICKET DETAILS

Due to its popularity, this tourist destination is flooded with innumerable visitors every day and weekends are the busiest days. Hence, tickets can be easily pre-booked online to avoid long queues. There are mainly three types of tickets available for the general public:

Express Tickets: It prices around 1000 Rs per adult and permits you to park your cars ahead of the ticket counter inside the campus. It also allows one to access the viewing gallery which is at a peak of 135 m.
Viewing Gallery Tickets: These tickets are of Rs 350 for adults and Rs 200 for children up to 15 years. Personal vehicles are not allowed in this ticket and one has to hop in the shuttle bus to roam around. A panoramic view of the captivating river the Narmada and the Sarovar Dam can be seen from the gallery viewpoint.
General Tickets: General tickets are for Rs 120 per visitor and Rs 60 for children up to 15 years. Buses are available at the ticket counter area and are fully air-conditioned. Just a word of caution that you may experience a long queue everywhere, however visiting this unique destination will completely blow your mind.

PEOPLE’S CONTRIBUTION – LOHA CAMPAIGN

There is already a lot of hustle about the cost incurred in the construction of this mammoth structure. It is believed that the construction nearly cost 3000 crores. However, very little we talk about this distinctive campaign that once again pulled the nation together.

The Loha campaign was an appeal made to all the farmers of India to donate their used farm tools, These tools were eventually melted and used in the formation of the statue. As Sardar Patel continually believed in unity, what would have been better than making the farmers an integral part of this awe-inspiring formation?

Sardar Patel was born in a farmer’s family and was an active revolutionist. The overwhelming response was the acknowledgment of that. Around 169,000 lakh kits of iron were collected under this project.

Many NGOs and other social activists came forward to run this campaign and made it successful. Additionally, a marathon was organized in Surat and Vadodara with the name of Run for Unity and was held on 15 Dec 2013.

ACCOMMODATION

There are two tent cities designed right on the river bank with 51 tents in one tent city and 250 tents in another one. These luxurious tents are fully air-conditioned and have toilets attached to the rooms. Aloof from the busy city life, an evening spent in these comfortable tents is certainly a bonus to your trip. Additionally, one can book their rooms in Shrestha Bharat Bhavan which has nearly 52 rooms available for its guests.

Picture credits@ Shreyas Macwan

WHEN TO VISIT

November to February is the ideal time to visit this place as the pleasant weather would make the strolling worthwhile. However, the tourist spot remains opened throughout the year for its guests.

The statue of unity remains closed on Monday and is opened between 9 am to 5 pm on the remaining days.

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HOW TO VISIT

Air: The closest airports to the statue of unity are in Vadodara which is just 3.5 km away and Surat. However, you may also fly down to Mumbai or Ahmedabad and then enjoy the road journey.

Train: The nearest stations recommended to reach the Statue of Unity are Bharuch, Vadodara, and Ankleshwar. They have functional connectivity of trains from other parts of the country.

Road: The Gujarat state road transport authority has started many buses from Ahmedabad (197 km), Surat (154 km), Vadodara (90 km), Bharuch (93 km) and Rajpipla (25 km). A road trip to the statue of unity will give you a chance to explore some breathtaking waterfalls, Sulpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, and temples on your way.

CONCLUSION

One of the marvelous creation of our country that is surrounded by bewitching sceneries of Gujarat. A perfect weekend gateway for the people of Gujarat and a must to visit place for the rest of us. Some might feel what is so special about its enormity? But the patriotic feeling just at a glimpse of this astounding statue is completely worth experiencing.

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