Statue of Unity: Making of the towering Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel structure

The Statue of Unity is located approximately 3.5 km downstream from the Sardar Sarovar Dam, on Sadhu Hill on the bed of the river Narmada. It is located amid remote, mountainous terrain. Seen in this image is the foundation of the statue and a temporary Bailey’s bridge built to move men and material. (Image: L&T)

About 180,000 cubic meters of concrete was used to build the statue, along with 18,500 tonnes of reinforced steel, 6,500 tonnes of structured steel and 1,700 tonnes of bronze. Around 1,850 tonnes of bronze cladding made up of some 565 macros and 6,000 micro panels were used to construct the outer most layer. (Image: L&T)

The statue rises out of a star-shaped, geometric concrete base that covers Sadhu Hill. It has a unique, slender width to height ratio, far more exacting than existing technical norms that call for special engineering considerations. (Image: L&T)

The structure has two vertical cores made of concrete and each has a high-speed elevator to reach the upper zones. The structural steel frames are built over the vertical concrete cores, which are then clad by an outer layer of 6,500 bronze panels, giving it the shape of the statue. (Image: L&T)

Situated on the Narmada river, the statue is exposed to the tunnel effect of winds blowing down stream. Studies of wind patterns over the years revealed wind speeds of up to 130 km/hour could blow at the site. However, the structure can withstand wind speeds of up to 180 km/hour. The statue base stands above the highest flood level recorded over 100 years of the Narmada dam and is designed to withstand earthquakes of up to 6.5 magnitude on the Richter Scale, at a depth of 10 km and within a radius of 12 km. (Image: L&T)

Sculptor Ram Suthar, made a few replicas of the statue and created a 30-feet bronze one that was scanned into electronic data to make the 597-feet (182 meters) Sardar Patel statue. (Image: L&T)

One of the chief attractions, the viewing gallery at 135 meters, will be accessible through two elevators located in the statue’s core, with a carrying capacity of 40 people each. The gallery, with space to accommodate up to 200 people at a time, will have a view of the Satpura and Vindhyachal mountain ranges. Visitors can get a distant view of the Sardar Sarovar Reservoir, and the 12-km-long Garudeshwar Reservoir — the latter will help ensure there is always water around the statue, which is located downstream Narmada dam. (Image: L&T)

The 182-meter statue is the tallest in the world and is twice the size of the Statue of Liberty and four times the size of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. (Image: L&T)

The memorial will be a reminder of India's freedom struggle and Patel's visionary ideologies of unity, patriotism, inclusive growth and good governance.

The statue is divided into five zones. Up to its shin is the first zone, comprising three levels, including an exhibit floor and mezzanine. Zone 2 extends up to the statue’s thighs, while Zone 3 goes up to the viewing gallery, with Zone 4 comprising the maintenance area and Zone 5 the head and shoulders. The Zone 4 and Zone 5 would be out of reach for visitors. The SoU premises comprises of a Memorial Garden, a large museum, SOU wall, visitors’ centre, an administrative complex, 3-star hotel and conference centre among several other tourist facilities. It is connected by a 320 m long designer bridge connecting Sadhu Hill to the mainland in turn connected by a 4-lane approach road.