Statue of Unity

The Statue of Unity, dedicated to India's first Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, is the tallest statue in the world at 182 metres (597 ft) — nearly twice the height of New York's Statue of Liberty. The statue was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 31 October 2018 (Patel's 143rd birth anniversary). It stands on Sadhu Bet island in the Narmada river, facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam — Patel's most-cherished pre-independence project. The statue was designed by Indian sculptor Ram V Sutar; the structural engineering is by Larsen & Toubro and the bronze cladding by a Chinese foundry (TQ Art Foundry, Jiangxi). A high-speed elevator takes visitors to a viewing gallery at 153 metres inside the statue's chest, with a window between Patel's lapels. The surrounding 'Statue of Unity Smarak' complex includes the Sardar Sarovar Dam viewing decks, the Valley of Flowers, the cactus garden, the children's nutrition park, and a cable car to Vindhyachal hill. The site has become Gujarat's most-visited tourist destination.