Tall, imposing and magnificent. These are some adjectives which sum up the Statue of Unity in Gujarat. Here are some salient features of the Statue.
Bengaluru: In his monthly Mann ki Baat address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extolled Sardar Patel, ahead of his birth anniversary on October 31.
Incidentally, the Statue of Unity also completes one year on the same day. So we decided to have a relook into the unique features of the Statue and how it has turned out to be a money spinner for the government.
Also Read: How Statue of Unity is a money spinner for the government
1. The Statue of Unity is the world's tallest statue at 182 metres or 597 feet.
2. The height of 182 was specifically chosen to match the number of seats in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly.
3. It is constructed on a river island named Sadhu Bet which is 3.2 km away from and faces the Narmada Dam downstream.
4. The giant statue and its surroundings occupy more than 4.9 acres as per sources.
5. It is also surrounded by a 12-km long artificial lake formed by the Garudeshwar weir downstream on the Narmada river.
6. The statue is built to withstand winds of up to 180 kilometres per hour or 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.
7. A note about the expression in the statue: Anil Sutar, the son of Ram Sutar, the designer of the statue says, "The expression, posture and pose justify the dignity, confidence, iron will as well as kindness that his personality exudes. The head is up, a shawl flung from shoulders and hands are on the side as if he is set to walk".
8. It took 57 months to complete – 15 months for planning, 40 months for construction and two months for handing over by the consortium.
9. The government generated close to Rs 20 crore as revenue in just three months after its inauguration from over 7.8 lakh visitors.
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