Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday dedicated to the nation the 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the tallest in the world, and said it will be a reminder about the courage of a man who thwarted efforts to disintegrate India.
The Statue of Unity at 182 metres is twice the height of the Statue of Liberty in the United States and is built on an islet, Sadhu Bet, near the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat's Narmada district. Photograph: @PMOIndia/Twitter
Two MI-17 helicopters shower flowers on the Statue of Unity. Photograph: Santosh Hirlekar/PTI Photo
Sardar Patel's family members hailed the 'Statue of Unity' as a "befitting tribute" to the 'Iron Man of India', saying it would help the younger generation know about his life and it should have been done much earlier by the previous governments. "The Congress didn't do anything like this for Sardar Patel. The statue is a befitting tribute to his contribution to the nation," said Dhirubhai Patel, grandson of Sardar's elder brother Somabhai Patel. Besides Dhirubhai, who lives in Vadodara with his family, the event was attended by 35 other members of Vallabhbhai Patel's extended family. Photograph: Santosh Hirlekar/PTI Photo
At the unveiling of the statue, the PM said had Sardar Patel not united the country, we would need visas to see lions or pay homage at Somnath or view the Charminar in Hyderabad. Photograph: @PMOIndia/Twitter
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Modi pays tribute to Sardar Patel under his newly-inaugurated statue. Photograph: @narendramodi/Twitter
Tri-coloured balloons fly around the "Statue of Unity" portraying Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters
The Statue of Unity includes a state-of-the-art museum that comprises audio-visual exhibits depicting the life and times of the great Indian leader and statesman, Sardar Patel. Photograph: Press Information Bureau
The Statue of Unity is open to the public from Thursday on all days of the week from 9 am to 6 pm. Photograph: Press Information Bureau
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Online ticket booking for the Sardar Patel statue is open from this Saturday. For kids below the age of 3, entry is free and for all others, including adults and kids above 3, tickets are priced at Rs 350 per person. It includes entry to the observation deck, valley of flowers, the Sardar Patel memorial, museum and audio-visual gallery, the Statue of Unity site and Sardar Sarovar dam. Photograph: Santosh Hirlekar/PTI Photo
A viewing gallery has been created at a height of 135 metres inside the statue to enable tourists to have a view of the dam and nearby mountain ranges. Photograph: @PMOIndia/Twitter
The statue has been built using over 70,000 tonnes of cement, 18,500 tonnes of reinforcement steel, 6,000 tonnes of structural steel and 1,700 metric tonnes of bronze, which was used for the outer cladding of the structure. Photograph: @PMOIndia/Twitter
Visitors will also be treated with a laser, light and sound show on the unification of India in the post-Independence period. Photograph: Santosh Hirlekar/PTI Photo