India’s ‘Statue of Unity’ is now the tallest in the world — It's twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty

• India just unveiled the tallest statue in the world on World Unity Day as a tribute to country’s first Deputy Prime Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• The statue stretches to 182 meters, looking over the Narmada River in the state of Gujarat.
  
• The government is expected that the new tourist spot will attract nearly 15,000 visitors on a daily basis.

India’s ‘Statue of Unity’, unveiled earlier today, is now the tallest statue in the world overtaking China’s Spring Temple Buddha. At 182 meters, it’s even twice the height of the Statue of Liberty.

That means if you’re standing anywhere within the radius of 7 kms, you’ll be able to see the statue towering down on you.

And, the best part is it’s not just something to stare at. You can actually go inside the statue and climb up the viewing gallery at 153 meters. Since the statue has been constructed on the Sadhu Bet Island on the Narmada River, visitors can see the Sardar Sarovar Dam laid out in front of them from there.

The government said that it took over 70,000 tonnes of cement, 18,500 tonnes of reinforced steel and 6,000 tonnes of structural steel to put the statue together. Even the outer layer of statue required over 1,700 tonnes of bronze.

The Statue of Unity has been built as a tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who was key to unitiing the princely states after the India-Pakistan partition in 1947.

It’s more than just the statue

During the unveiling of the Statue of Unity, more tourist locations were also introduced in and around the location. First off, there’s a 17 kms long valley of flowers in the vicinity. Second, and more importantly, there’s a ‘Tent City’ around the statue where visitors can stay.

While the launch of the statue was a big event, one can’t help but wonder if this tourism attraction is going to bring in competition for Gujarat’s most popular winter festival that’s famously known for its tent city, the Rann Utsav.

The government’s even come out and said it expects 15,000 tourist visitors on a daily basis. The Indian Railways, to support this venture, is running a special train today called the ‘Unity Express’ that will run from Rajkot to the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, within the state of Gujarat.