Statue of Unity

Gujarat & Diu


This 182m (240m including the base) statue of Indian statesman and independence activist Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1875–1950) was the world's tallest statue when it was unveiled in late 2018. Built in 15 months by some 3000 workers and at a cost of around US$420 million, the statue utilises 210,000 cu metres of cement, 6500 tonnes of structural steel and 18,500 tonnes of reinforced steel, as well as 1700 tonnes of bronze plates and 1850 tonnes of bronze cladding.

The government hopes that the statue will inspire pride in India and bring tourist money to an otherwise undeveloped part of Gujarat. Indeed, in the first 11 days after the statue opened to the public 128,000 tourists visited the site.

The nearest town is Kevadia (3km from the statue and 85km from Vadodava), but it's not yet well served by public transport. A few buses go from Vadodara, or you could take one from Vadodara to Rajpipla and change there.