Ahmedabad:Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Friday unveiled the world's second tallest statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel here.
The 70,000 kg, 50 ft tall bronze idol situated in the Sardardham premises here near Vaishnodevi circle has become the second highest icon of the first home home minister of India with only the iconic Statue of Unity of the legendary leader situated in Kevadiya of Narmada district in Central Gujarat having a greater height.
Interestingly, this statue has also been designed by the same sculptor who had designed the Statue of Unity i e Padma Bhusan Ram V Sutar.
After unveiling the statue in presence of Deputy CM Nitin Patel and Union Minister of State for Shipping and Fertilizer Mansukh Mandaviya, CM Rupani said that it was a matter of pride for Gujarat that both the highest and second highest icons of Sardar Patel, the architect of united India, were situated in his home-state.
President of Sardardham Gagji Sutariya said that the statue in Sardardham was though much smaller than the SoU yet was second tallest of Sardar Patel.Sutariya said that the 16 storied building constructed behind the statue at a cost of Rs 200 crore will also serve as a free of cost hostel facility for the students of his Patidar community.
Spokesperson of Sardardham Subhash Dobariya and Mahendra Patel told UNI that the total cost on the bronze made statue was around Rs 3.25 crore. 'Though it has been designed by Sutar, who had also designed Statue of Unity, yet the design was different. While in the SoU, Sardar Patel is shown standing with both of his feet together, in the 50 ft tall statue in Sardardham he is in a walking posture with one foot ahead of the other,' they said.
Notably, PM Narendra Modi had inaugurated the SoU in October 2018. Erected at a cost of over Rs 3000 crores the 182 meter tall SoU had become the tallest one in the world leaving behind the Spring Temple Buddha of China. The SoU is almost 30 meter higher the the Buddha idol which it has surpassed in height.(UNI)