Are you ready to witness the World’s Tallest Statue? Get ready to visit this destination which is full of surprises for it’s not just a cliché destination housing a statue but one which offers you a fun-filled holiday for you and your family to cherish. So, Put on your walking shoes (and your smart watches!) as you will require to trace countless steps to explore this emerging tourist destination of India. So, all those travellers visiting Gujarat, you just can’t afford to miss out on this one-of-its-kind attraction of the state. Allow us to take you to witness the “Iron Man of India”: – Sardar Vallabhaai Patel standing with pride soaring to the sky at a height of 182 meters.
The statue is located in Kevadia in the Narmada District of Gujarat. The statue is built on an island in the river Narmada – Sadhu Bet named after a monk who prayed there. The destination is easily accessible from these 3 major cities of Gujarat – Surat, Ahmedabad and Vadodara. While Vadodara is the closest and most preferred; just 90 km. You can Buy your tickets online and drive to Kevadia, Rajpipla Gujarat. Just 14 km from the statue and you see the first glimpse of the hazy silhouette of Sardar Vallabhai Patel! Seven km from the statue is the barricade or the gates where you are required to show your tickets.
Upon entering the region of Kevadia, you will witness A statue of Goddess Khodiyar sitting on a crocodile just at the entrance & which also marks your arrival.
To start with, there are three different tickets available for the visit – one that takes you all the way up to the observation deck, the second one that allows entry to the base of the statue and the museum too and, the third one that gives you freedom till the gates of the walkway to the statue only. Our advice – go all the way up for that experience. Should you be interested in learning more about this place, then please do avail the service of these locally trained certified Guides present there and most of them happen to be from the local community residing in the region. They would share significant details of the project and keep you amused with valuable pieces of information. All these guides are Gujarat Tourism certified. Keep looking out to your right as that is where Sardar Patel stands. What a sight it is when you get those first glimpses. As Mighty as it can be!
It is indeed advisable for you to have a hearty & fulfilling Breakfast before setting out for the excursion trip. For all those wondering whether it is just a statue what else can it have for us to see and explore? Then let us tell you that you will be stunned & can’t help but appreciate and be in complete awe of the splendid job that the Gujarat Tourism department has done to develop this place as a major tourist attraction spot of the country. Yes, not just a statue but a full-fledged amusement city has been developed which surrounds the statue of Unity. And For Kids and teens, it is a must-visit.
So, Let’s begin with the first excursion at the Statue of unity. So upon Reaching there you will be greeted by colossal signage of Statue of Unity pretty much similar to the Hollywood signage of the Beverly hills.
After checking into your hotel, set out for a drive to visit the world’s tallest statue of India’s Iron Man Sardar Vallabhai Patel. Admire the tallest statue in the world at a jaw-dropping 182 metres & move to visit the Museum & Audio & Visual gallery. A flight of stairs and you arrive at the feet of the statue which are almost double your height! A closer look from here and you can see the minutest details that the artisans have taken into consideration, like the skin texture on the hands, the nails, and the tassels hanging from Sardar Patel’s shawl. Move on and show your tickets at the entry point of the walkway to the statue. The walkway is some 300 meters long and has travellators on both sides. Walk the distance or just hop onto the travellator. The short walk/ride takes you to the platform on which the museum is built. The statue stands above the museum. The museum houses the prototype and small replicas of Sardar Vallabhai Patel and various video clips and presentations depicting significant excerpts & milestones in the life of Patel. The Museum also offers immense insight into the history of the independence struggle and freedom quests of India and how Sardar Patel played a vital role in uniting modern-day secular and vibrantly diversified India. Queue up for your ride up and in no time you are 400 ft above the base of the statue, roughly around 40 floors up!! The observation deck is created around the chest of Sardar Patel and we peep through his jacket at the Narmada below.
Viewing Gallery is a spot which deserves a special mention. This Viewing gallery is located at some 500 feet above the ground and will leave you stunned & admiring the view as it offers a panoramic view of the Sardar Sarovar Dam, its 256 km long reservoir, flanked by the beautiful & mighty Vindhya and Satpura mountain ranges on both sides. The entire museum is accessible through an excellent elevator/lift system along with stairs as a backup.
The next stoppage is near the Sardar Sarovar Dam. Another wonder, the Dam itself is a majestic structure making it one of the largest in the world. Flora and fauna around here and the beautiful Narmada take your breath away. A bird watchers’ paradise, may we add. The next stop on the bus ride would be on one of the Sarovars or lakes where The newly set-up tent city can be seen on one side and a huge water body on the other. A lot of birds can be seen here, and lucky you are if a crocodile might also make a rare appearance. Moving on, we cross another phase of the tent city as the road snakes around lakes and hills.
In the evening visit the Cactus Garden for exploring a unique botanical garden created to exhibit a wide variety of Cacti and succulents. You will be amazed to discover these species & their adaptation techniques. According to Gujarat Tourism, the thought behind the development of the cactus garden is to provide an experience of the desert ecosystem in the midst of a landmass well entrenched in the aquatic surroundings. The Garden houses 6 lakh plants of 450 species spread across 25 acres of open land and inside the dome spanning an area of 836 square meters. This garden is a paradise for nature lovers & avid learners of Botany.
Your last activity for the day is the Great Sound & Laser Light show at the Statue of Unity which will leave you in awe.
The next day after a hearty breakfast, get ready to drive to Jungle Safari at Kevadia, Statue of Unity. This excursion happens to be one of the most fun-filled & amazing of all, as you will get to spot such species which you might have not seen so far. It will leave you awestruck and wondering in amazement to spot animals such as herbivores which include the mighty one-horned rhinoceros, a lone giraffe who loves to have his favourite meal of Acacia, a herd of deer of all sorts, zebras, etc. to carnivores of the likes of white tiger, leopards, hyenas etc. to walking a walkway of the Fly High Aviary which houses colourful birds like Pelican, Red Jungle Fowl, Ibis, Partridge, Parrots and many more to a unique exotic species of Macaw, Emu, Ostrich etc. You surely can’t afford to miss out on this jungle safari.
Your Next Stop is the “Dino Trail”. So are you interested in going back in time to trace the massive footprints of dinosaurs that once inhabited the Narmada Valley? If yes, then this Dino Trail will enthral you the most
If colours, vibrance and beauty of nature give you solace and joy, then head to this next stop. Welcome to The Butterfly Garden established along the banks of the Narmada river, which makes an attractive place to see the assortment of these flying beauties. The garden houses more than 70 species of butterflies. The Butterfly Garden has been created in a way to create an environment that attracts butterflies providing them with a habitat to flourish & grow. Since butterflies’ food is the nectar of flowers, the park houses numerous flowering plants that provide them with food.
The glow of a well-lit night will surely vanish all sorts of darkness. Get ready to glow & bask in fluorescence as you make your way to India’s first glow theme park located by the Narmada river. Unity Glow Garden is one of a kind park with 35,00,000 LED lights that are crafted in animals, trees, flowers and other interesting and beautiful art.
Besides all these, there is a mall and numerous food courts affiliated with both national and international brands and various souvenir shops.
As we said, there’s a lot that one can do at the Statue of Unity. Plan a trip with the family and we promise that you would want to come back for another wonderful trip.
