Photos clicked by Purva Narvekar and Prathamesh Narvekar…

“Manpower without unity is not a strength unless it is harmonized and united properly, then it becomes a spiritual power.”

-Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Height- 182 meters (597 feet).

Location- Over River Narmada in the Kevadiya, facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam 100 km southeast of the city of Vadodara. The monument is located between the Vindhyachal and Satpuda ranges, rising on Sadhu-Bet Island in the Narmada River, approximately 3.5 km downstream from the famous Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat. The statue and its surroundings occupy more than 2 hectares (4.9 acres) of the area and are surrounded by a 12 km long artificial lake formed by the Garudeshwar weir, downstream on the Narmada river.

Why only Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel???

The statue has been built as a tribute to the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first home minister of independent India. The statue has been described as a tribute to Indian engineering skills. Sardar Patel is widely considered to be the architect of modern India. The SOU will stand tall as an inspiration to future generations, a reminder of Sardar Patel’s hearty contribution and a symbol of national harmony and integrity.

Why Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel called the “Iron Man of India”???

After India gained independence from the British, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was one of the first Congress leaders to accept the partition of India as a solution to the rising Muslim separatist movement led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He represented India on the Partition Council.
Sardar Patel had a responsibility of political integration of India and unifying 562 princely states in the Union of India. This earned him the title of ‘Iron Man of India’.

Why it was over river of Narmada???

The colossal monument is built over River Narmada, a tribute to India ‘from the people of Gujarat’ to the leader who placed people’s welfare first. The Statue of Unity faces the river basin of the Narmada River and the Sardar Sarovar Dam. The statue is also supposed to appear as if it is walking on water, towards the Sardar Sarovar Dam, with its left leg slightly forward.

Who designed the Statue???

Image taken from India today news.
SOU was designed by Indian sculptor Ram V. Sutar. In 1999, he received the Padma Shri and later in 2016, Padma Bhushan from the Government of India. In October 2018, he received the Tagore Award for cultural harmony of 2016.

When did the project began???

This project was announced in the year 2010 and the foundation of the statue began in October, 2013, where they started collecting the iron required for statue. They requested farmers to donate their farming instruments. The project was accomplished by Indian company Larsen & Toubro (L&T), with a total construction cost of ₹2,700 crore. By 2016, a total of 135 metric tonnes of scrap iron had been collected and about 109 tonnes of it was used to make the foundation of the statue after processing. A marathon titled Run For Unity was held on 15 December, 2013 in Surat and Vadodara in support of this project.

When was project accomplished???

SOU was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on 31 October 2018, on the 143rd anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel birth.

Unique features of SOU:

• The statue is built to withstand winds of up to 180 kilometers per hour (110 mph) and earthquakes measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale which are at a depth of 10 km and within a radius of 12 km of the statue. This is aided by the use of two, 250 tonne tuned mass dampers ensuring maximum stability.
• The total height of the structure is 240 m (790 ft.), with a base of 58 m (190 ft.) and the statue measuring 182 m (597 ft.).
• The height of 182 meters was specifically chosen to match the number of seats in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly.
• The project took 57 months to complete – 15 months for planning, 40 months for construction and 2 months for handing over by the consortium.
• The total cost of the project was estimated to be about ₹2,063 crore (equivalent to ₹28 billion or US$370 million in 2020) by the Government. The tender bids for the first phase were invited in October 2013 and were closed in November 2013.
• Indian infrastructure company Larsen & Toubro won the contract on 27 October 2014 for its lowest bid of ₹2,989 crore (equivalent to ₹41 billion or US$540 million in 2020) for the design, construction and maintenance of the statue. L&T commenced the construction on 31 October 2014.
• In the first phase of the project, ₹1,347 crore was earmarked for the main statue, ₹235 crore for the exhibition hall and convention center, ₹83 crore for the bridge connecting the memorial to the mainland and ₹657 crore for the maintenance of the structure for a duration of 15 years after its completion.
• The Sadhu Bet hillock was flattened from 70 meters to 55 meters to lay the foundation of the statue.

Structure of SOU:

The statue is divided into five zones of which only three are accessible to the public. From its base to the level of Patel’s shins is the first zone which has three levels.
It includes:
1. the exhibition area,
2. the mezzanine
3. the roof.

The first zone also contains a memorial garden and a museum.
The second zone reaches up to Patel’s thighs.
The third extends up to the viewing gallery at a height of 153 meters.
The fourth zone is the maintenance area.
The fifth and final zone comprises the head and shoulders of the statue.

Functioning of L&T Company for SOU Project:

• L&T employed over 3000 workers and 250 engineers in the statue’s construction.
• The core of the statue used 2,10,000 cubic meters (74,00,000 cu ft.) of cement and concrete, 6,500 tonnes of structural steel, and 18,500 tonnes of reinforced steel.
• The outer façade is made up of 1,700 tonnes of bronze plates and 1,850 tonnes of bronze cladding which in turn consists of 565 macro and 6000 micro panels.
• The bronze panels were cast in Jiangxi Tongqing Metal Handicrafts Co. Ltd (the TQ Art Foundry) in China as facilities large enough for such casting were unavailable in India.
• The bronze panels were transported over the sea and then by road to a workshop near the construction site where they were assembled.

Problems faced while building up SOU:

Local tribal belonging to the Tadvi tribe opposed the land acquisition for the development of tourism infrastructure around the statue. Around 300 activists were arrested ahead of the unveiling of the statue. People of Kevadia, Kothi, Waghodia, Limbdi, Navagam, and Gora villages opposed the construction of the statue and demanded the restitution of the land rights over 375 hectares (927 acres) of land acquired earlier for the dam as well as for the formation of a new Garudeshwar sub-district. They also opposed the formation of the Kevadia Area Development Authority (KADA) and the construction of the Garudeshwar weir-cum-causeway project. The government of Gujarat accepted most of their demands.

What to expect in 1^st Zone of SOU???

The museum in the first zone briefs us about the life of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and his contributions.
Moving further there is an adjoining audio-visual gallery that provides a 15-minute long presentation on Patel and also describes the tribal culture of the state.
There is an innovative ‘Make a Pledge’ wall, where you pledge for the prosperity, harmony, and growth of India.
The concrete towers which form the statue’s legs contain two elevators each. Each lift can carry 26 people at a time to the viewing gallery in just over 30 seconds.

Gallery View from heart of SOU:

The gallery is located at a height of 153 meters (502 ft.) and can hold up to 200 people. You can have an amazing view from that gallery. You can see Sardar Sarovar Dam and beautiful greenery and shades of blue from the top.

We can have a view of the Satpura and Vindhyachal mountain ranges, which also form the point where Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra meet. Visitors can also get a distant view of the Sardar Sarovar Reservoir, and the 12-km-long Garudeshwar Reservoir — the latter will help ensure there is always water around the statue, which is located downstream from the Sardar Sarovar Dam.

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