Statue of Unity included in ‘8 Wonders of SCO’ 2022

India’s Statue of Unity has become the part of ‘8 Wonders of SCO’ list. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has included the Statue of Unity in its ‘8 Wonders of SCO’ list. The Statue of Unity is the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Home Minister of independent India. The 182-meter tall statue is the world’s tallest statue located in Kevadia, Gujarat. The statue was inaugurated on the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in 2018.

Statue of Unity

The project for a statue of unity was first announced in the year 2010 and the construction of the statue started in October 2013. The total construction cost of the statue of unity was 2700 crores and it was started by the company Larsen and Toubro. The statue of unity project was initiated by Narendra Modi to mark the beginning of his 10th year as the chief minister of Gujarat. the chief minister of Gujarat was made the chairman of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta trust to execute and supervise the project.

The designer of the statue of unity the Indian sculpture Ram.V.Sutar studied with a team of historians, artists, and academics, to choose the perfect design for the statue of unity. An interesting fact about the design of the statue of unity is that it is of 16:19 ratio, whereas the other taller buildings are of 8:14 ratio. This happened because as per the design the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel has dhoti-clad lakes which makes the base thinner than the upper part making it unstable. The statue of unity can stand wind of up to 180 km per hour and an earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale.  The total height of the structure is 240 m with a base of 58 m and the statue measuring 182 m.

Statue of Unity: Design and Funds

The design of the statue of unity is of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel standing with a shawl on their shoulders, wearing a dhoti, hands on the side, and heads up. The funds for the construction of the statue of unity were given by the Government of Gujarat. The government allotted 500 crores for the project between 2012 and 2015. During 2014 and 2015, Rs. 200 crores were allocated for the construction of the statue by the union budget.

Some Interesting Facts about the Statue of Unity

• The statue of unity is taller than China’s spring tumble Buddha and the Statue of Liberty.
• The statue of unity is located on an island called Sadhu Bet near rajpipla. The statue of unity faces the Narmada dam.
• It is located between two mountain ranges near kevadia town in Gujarat. The two mountain ranges are Satpura and Vindhya mountain ranges
• In 2013 when the construction of the statue of unity started the iron needed for the statue was collected by the farmers who donated their used farming instruments. By 2016, 135 metric tons of scrap iron were collected and about 109 tonnes of it were used to make the foundation of the statue.
• It took three and a half years to build the statue of unity. Over 3000 workers including 300 engineers from Larsen and Toubro built the statue.

FAQs Related to the Statue of Unity

1.What does the statue of unity represent?
Ans. The statue of unity as the name suggests symbolizes the unity of India. It is a magnificent tribute to the iron man of India Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. As we call him the iron man of India the statue is made of 135 metric tons of scrap iron.

2.How much did it cost to build a statue of unity?
Ans. The cost to build the statue of Unity was Rs. 2700 crore

3.Is the statue of unity visible from the space?
Ans. The statue of unity is located between the Satpura and Vindhya Mountain Ranges. The statue of unity is one of the few man-made things that are visible from space.

4.Who was the sculpture of the statue of unity?
Ans. The sculpture of the statue of unity was Padma Bhushan recipient sculpture Ram.V.Sutar. And the bronze cladding work was done by a Chinese company called the Jiangxi Toqine Company.

5.When was the statue of unity inaugurated?
Ans. The statue of unity was inaugurated on 31st October 2018 by prime minister Narendra Modi. The statue was made in the honor of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to facilitate his contribution and it was a tribute to the Indian engineering skills.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Gujarat: Vijay Rupani; Governor: Acharya Dev Vrat.

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