What is the Statue of Unity?

About Statue of Unity

• It was created as a tribute to the ‘Iron Man of India’, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• Location: It is located in Gujarat, by the banks of the River Narmada on the River Island of Sadhu Bet, overlooking the Narmada Dam.
• Height: The statue, 182-metre tall, is described as the world’s tallest as it exceeds the height of China’s Spring Temple Buddha by 177 feet.
  • The height of 182 meters is kept as the Gujarat state has 182 seats in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly.
• The statue was built by Indian construction major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and designed by Padma Bhushan-winning sculptor Ram V Sutar.
• The state government fully funded the INR 3,050-crore project, covering an area of 20,000 square metres and is surrounded by a 12 square kilometre artificial lake.

Key facts about Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

• He was an Indian barrister and statesman, one of the leaders of the Indian National Congress during the struggle for Indian independence.
• He was born on October 31st, 1875, in Nadiad, Gujarat.
• Patel first made his mark in 1918, when he planned mass campaigns of peasants, farmers, and landowners of Kaira, Gujarat, against the decision of the Bombay government to collect the full annual revenue taxes despite crop failures caused by heavy rains.
• He was so influenced by Gandhiji's ideas that in the year 1920, in the non-cooperation movement, he adopted indigenous Khadi items and started boycotting foreign clothes.
• Patel led the Satyagraha movement in Nagpur in 1923 against the British law banning the hoisting of the Indian flag.
• In 1928, Patel successfully led the landowners of Bardoli in their resistance against increased taxes.
  • His efficient leadership of the Bardoli campaign earned him the title of sardar (“leader”).
• He was appointed as the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India from 1947 to 1950.
• He is highly credited for the peaceful integration of the princely Indian states into the Indian Union and the political unification of India.

Q1) What is the non-cooperation movement?

The Non-Cooperation Movement (NCM) was the first nationwide movement launched by Gandhiji in 1920 during British rule. It emerged as a powerful and fervent response to a culmination of grievances and disillusionment that had been building up among the Indian populace. Rowlatt Actand the brutal Jaliawala Bagh Massacre were the immediate causes for launching the movement. 

Source: 38 exotic birds, animals died at zoological park in the Statue of Unity complex in 2 years