Statue of Unity: 13 Impressive Facts About the World’s Tallest Statue

The Statue of Unity is the world’s tallest statue: a 182-metre bronze-clad figure of the Indian statesman Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, standing on a river island in the Narmada valley in Gujarat, India, and inaugurated on 31 October 2018. With its 58-metre base, the whole structure reaches 240 metres. This page gives 13 checked facts about the unity statue: why it was built, how Larsen & Toubro engineered it, what is inside, what it cost and why it remains controversial.

Humans, including architects and artists, have always been obsessed with breaking records and advancing. Completed in 2018 in Gujarat, India, the Statue of Unity is the tallest statue in the world, 54 metres taller than the former record holder, the Spring Temple Buddha in China, and nearly twice the height of the Statue of Liberty including its pedestal (Statue of Unity). You can’t help but be curious about this architectural marvel, even if it is not the only well-known landmark with its secrets. For other unusual monuments, see 20 of the strangest sculpture art spots and buildings worldwide.

The Statue of Unity: the origin

The Statue of Unity honours Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel, known as Sardar Patel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister after independence. He is remembered for bringing hundreds of princely states into the new Republic of India, which earned him the names “Iron Man of India” and “the Great Unifier”.

The statue stands on Sadhu Bet, a river island on the Narmada near Kevadia, facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam. The figure is 182 metres tall and stands on a 58-metre base, so the whole structure reaches 240 metres.

The Statue of Unity’s construction

The project was launched by the Gujarat government as “Gujarat’s Tribute to the Nation”. The Indian engineering company Larsen & Toubro (L&T) won the contract in October 2014 and built the statue in about four years. L&T used building information modelling (BIM) to coordinate the design, engineering and fabrication teams. Watch this video to learn more about L&T’s process.

What is inside the Statue of Unity

• An exhibition hall at the base about the life and work of Sardar Patel.
• A memorial garden and visitor facilities around the base.
• A viewing gallery inside the statue at a height of about 153 metres, with room for up to 200 people and views over the dam and valley.
• High-speed lifts in the legs of the statue that carry visitors up to the gallery.

13 facts about the unity statue

As well as being a symbol of national pride, the Statue of Unity is a major engineering project. Here are the facts, checked against published sources.

1. It can be seen from far away, and from orbit

Because of its height, the statue is visible from several kilometres around the valley, and satellite images published soon after its completion clearly show it from space.

2. More than just a statue

The statue is the centre of a large tourism complex with an exhibition, memorial garden, visitor centre and viewing gallery, and nearby hotels, gardens and other attractions developed since 2018. A bridge and a new approach road were built to connect the island to the mainland.

3. Farmers donated iron tools

A campaign known as the Statue of Unity Movement asked farmers across India to donate used farming tools. By 2016, about 135 tonnes of scrap iron had been collected, and about 109 tonnes of it were processed for use in the statue’s foundation (Statue of Unity).

4. It draws millions of visitors

The unity statue has become one of India’s most visited monuments, with about 5.8 million visitors reported in 2024.

5. The height of 182 metres is symbolic

The height was chosen to match the number of seats in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, which has 182 members.

6. Its form was carefully engineered

The figure was designed by the Indian sculptor Ram V. Sutar, and several models were made before one was chosen. Patel is shown walking, in a traditional dhoti and shawl, as if moving towards the dam. The statue’s slender proportions and walking stance meant that its structure had to be specially designed to resist wind and sway: inside the bronze skin is a reinforced concrete core with a structural steel frame.

7. It displaced local people and led to protests

Land acquisition for the dam, the statue and the tourism projects around it affected local Adivasi (tribal) villages. Residents protested over land rights and compensation, and around 300 activists were reported arrested before the inauguration. The government later accepted many of the villagers’ demands.

8. It was an international effort

Thousands of workers built the statue on site. Its bronze panels were cast in China, at the Jiangxi Tongqing Metal Handicrafts foundry, because no Indian foundry could make panels at that scale at the time.

9. The project reported some huge numbers

• 210,000 cubic metres of cement concrete
• 18,500 tonnes of reinforcing steel
• 6,500 tonnes of structural steel
• 1,700 tonnes of bronze plates
• 1,850 tonnes of bronze cladding
• L&T’s winning bid of about 2,989 crore rupees (29.9 billion rupees); published estimates of the total cost vary

10. Its skin is made of thousands of bronze panels

The bronze cladding is made of 565 large (macro) panels and about 6,000 smaller (micro) panels, fixed to the steel frame. Each panel was shaped to follow the sculptor’s model.

11. It is designed for strong winds and earthquakes

The unity statue is designed to withstand winds of up to 180 km/h and earthquakes of magnitude 6.5. Two large tuned mass dampers inside the structure reduce sway.

12. It hosts an evening show

In the evenings, the statue becomes a screen for a light and projection show about Sardar Patel’s life and India’s freedom struggle. Check the official site for current times and tickets.

13. It raised controversial opinions

A project of this size and cost was bound to divide opinion. Supporters see the unity statue as a national achievement and a driver of tourism and jobs in the region. Critics questioned the cost at a time of other public needs and protested against the effects on local communities.

The Statue of Unity is a remarkable and imposing monument. Its height of 182 metres makes it the tallest statue in the world and a powerful symbol of Sardar Patel’s role in uniting India. Whatever one thinks of its cost, it is an engineering feat. For more record-breaking structures, see the tallest buildings in the world and Jeddah Tower.