A tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the 'Statue of Unity' is the tallest statue in the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the statue today, marking the birth anniversary of India's first home minister. This statue is taller than the 153m Spring Temple Buddha in China and twice the height of the world-famous Statue of Liberty in New York. The statue was built at a cost of Rs 2,389 crore and stands tall at 3.2 km downstream of the Narmada dam on the islet. Here Are Statue of Unity Unveiling by Narendra Modi Live News Updates. 

Infrastructure giant Larsen & Toubro Ltd. claimed that the statue is believed to be the quickest to be completed in just 33 months unlike China's Spring Temple Buddha which took 11 years to complete. Reports inform that the raft construction of the structure began on December 19, 2015, and took 33 months construction time for completion. Sardar Patel Statue of Unity, Tallest in the World, to be Inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on October 31; Here's How to Book Tickets Online. 

According to a PTI report,  the Statue of Unity has devoured 180,000 cu. m. of cement concrete, 18,500 tonnes of reinforced steel, 6,500 tonnes of structured steel, 1,700 tonnes of bronze and 1,850 tonnes of the bronze cladding. Sardar Patel's Statue of Unity 'Tallest in The World': List of Four Other Skyrocketing Statues.

Here are 10 things you need to know about the Statue of Unity:

  1. The Statue of Unity would be the tallest in the world and the quickest to be completed in just 33 months

  2. The Statue is taller than the 153m Spring Temple Buddha in China and is twice the height of the world-famous Statue of Liberty in New York.

  3. The 182-metre tall statue is being built with 25,000 tonnes of iron and 90,000 tonnes of cement.

  4. The statue is divided into five zones- Up to its shin is the first zone that has three levels, including an exhibit floor, mezzanine and roof. It will contain a Memorial Garden and a large museum.

  5. The Zone 2 extends up to the statue's thighs at 149 metres, while Zone 3 goes up to the viewing gallery at 153 metres. Zone 4 comprises the maintenance area and Zone 5 the head and shoulders.

  6. The statue devoured 180,000 cu. m. of cement concrete, 18,500 tonnes of reinforced steel, 6,500 tonnes of structured steel, 1,700 tonnes of bronze and 1,850 tonnes of the bronze cladding.

  7. The raft construction of the structure began on Dec. 19, 2015, and took 33 months construction time for completion.

  8. The structure has two vertical cores supporting the steel frames to which about 6,500 bronze panels are clad. Nearly 3,400 labourers and 250 engineers are working round-the-clock at the site of the statue at Sadhu Bet island on Narmada river.

  9. The statue has been engineered to withstand wind speeds of up to 50 m per second (almost 180 km).

  10. The Statue of Unity can also survive earthquakes measuring up to 6.5 on the Richter Scale, at a depth of 10 km and within a radius of 12 km of the statue.

Reports inform that on 15th December 2013, then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had flagged off the campaign to 1.69 lakh villages, carrying about three lakh empty kit boxes and subsequently, by 2016, 135 metric tonnes of iron was collected for the statue. Statue of Unity of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel: Know Facts About The World's Tallest Statue in Gujarat, Watch Video.

Take a Look at the World's Tallest Statue:

The statue is conceived as a naturalistic depiction of Sardar Patel in characteristic garb in a walking pose and it rises out of a star-shaped, geometric base that covers the entire Sadhu Hill. The visitors can also get a distant view of the Sardar Sarovar Reservoir and the 12-km-long Garudeshwar Reservoir.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 31, 2018 08:56 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).