Age is just a number, you must be young at heart that’s what we were reminded when we met Mrs. and Mr. Venkat of Bangalore. This write up is inspired by this elderly couple that is young at heart and chronicles their recent extended trip with us to Vadodara, the Statue of Unity from Mumbai.
Location & Connectivity:
Statue of Unity is
- 415 Kms from Mumbai (Maharashtra) approx. 8hrs
- 325 Kms from Nashik (Maharashtra) approx. 7.30 hrs
- 340 Kms from Indore (MP) approx. 7hrs
- 200 Kms from Ahmedabad (Gujrat) approx. 3.20hrs
- 160 Kms from Surat (Gujrat) approx. 3.15 hrs
- 90 Kms from Vadodara (Gujrat) approx. 2 hrs
The location of this statue is such that it is well connected by rail and road. As far as air travel is concerned Ahmedabad is the nearest International Airport whereas Vadodara is the nearest domestic airport which is a proposed International Airport as well.
Vadodara
Formally known as Baroda, Vadodara is the third-largest city of Gujarat. It is one of the important industrial, cultural, and educational hubs. Being situated on the Delhi Mumbai Highway it is well connected by buses, rails and has a domestic airport as well.
One of the topmost attractions of Vadodara is Laxmi Vilas Palace. It is the residence of the state’s royal Maratha family, the Gaekwads who used to rule Baroda long back. Laxmi Vilas Palace was opened in 1890 and boasts the Indo-Saracenic architecture. It is one of the majestic structures of India built by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in 1890.
Statue of Unity
India boasts of having the tallest statue in the world, yes true Statue of Unity is dedicated to the Iron man of India, “Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel”. This statue is located on an island near Sardar Sarovar Dam on the banks of river Narmada. This statue symbolizes the unification of India, which Sardar Vallabh Bhai did by bringing together 562 princely states together forming our Great INDIA.
The statue was built by Padma Bhushan recipient sculptor Ram V Sutar. It is 183 meters in height including the base. At a dizzying height of 153 meters lies a viewing gallery that can accommodate around 200 visitors at a time offering a panoramic view of the Satpura Jungle, Vindhya mountain ranges, and the dam.
As we all know that Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel is also known as the iron man and is a farmer’s son thus a campaign was started by collecting 129 tonnes of used iron from the farmers across India which were melted and used in the making of this spectacular statue indicating the integrity he brought then. This campaign was also known as the “Loha Campaign”.
Let’s summarise few important facts about this huge statue.
- Foundation laid on :- 31st October 2013
- Construction started on :- 31st October 2014
- Inaugrated on :- 31st October 2018
- Manpower :-Around 3000 workers including 300 engineers were employed is making this statue.
- Made by :- Larson & Turbo(L&T)
- Cost :- Government of India spend around 3000 crore
- It’s able to withstand the earthquake of up to 6.5 on a Ritcher’s scale and wind of around 80Km/hr.
- It is the first global statue to be built in the shortest time that is 42-44 weeks.
- Iron needed to make this statue has been collected from throughout India.
- Bronze cladding is done over it which eventually will change its colour to green over the span of 100 yrs(due to natural process)
- It is situated on a 3 Story solid base which has a memorial garden and Exhibition Hall.
Entry tickets and timings
The statue of unity remains closed on Monday and is opened between 8 am to 6 pm on the remaining days.
The tickets can be booked online through their website https://www.soutickets.in/.
There are four types of tickets available as per your choice
- Basic Entry Ticket:- costs ₹150 for adults and ₹90 for children(between 3-15 years) which includes access to the Museum, Gallery, Sound and Light show, Valley of Flowers, Sardar Sarovar Dam Viewpoints and Bus Service.
- Viewing Gallery Ticket:- costs ₹380 for adults and ₹230 for children, which includes all the ‘Basic Entry Ticket’ benefits as well access to the Statue of Unity Viewing Gallery located 500 feet above the ground.
- Express Entry Ticket:- costs for ₹1030 for adults and children, which offers all the ‘Viewing Gallery Ticket’ benefits, with priority access to the Viewing Gallery. Wait time can be more during the holidays etc, so these tickets are helpful during peak time and days.
- Foreigner Express Entry Ticket:-costs for ₹1530 for adults and ₹830 for children. This ticket is only for non-Indian guests from abroad, and includes all the benefits of the ‘Express Entry Ticket’.
Our Experience, Our Way
We were to attend a marriage in Mumbai in July 2019 so we thought to further extend our trip to Somnath, Dwarika, etc in Gujrat. As it was monsoon season so people suggested us to plan for the next time. So instead we planned for Baroda and Statue of Unity as it the most talked-about place to visit these days.
After attending a function in Mumbai we had 2 days in-between so we took a morning train from Mumbai Central at 6.30 AM to Baroda (Mumbai Ahemdabad Shatabdi) and reached around 11 AM. Checked ourselves in a hotel. Later we went to see Laxmi Vilas Palace. As we are architectural and history lovers we enjoyed that place a lot. We spend around 2hrs and explored the place.
For the next day, we booked the cab for statue of unity from the hotel only. He took Rs 2300/- for the trip, to and fro including the waiting charges. We started the next day morning. Statue of Unity is 90Kms and 1.5 to 2 hrs drive from Vadodara. The roads and the highway are very nice. Everyone whom we talked about is talking in favor of Mr. Modi.
As we reached the statue which can be seen from very far off we realized it was really huge. There are regular hop-on buses that take you around the whole area. We took the combined ticket of Rs 380/-.
Ours was the viewing Gallery Ticket which includes access to the Museum, Gallery, Sound and Light show, Valley of Flowers, Sardar Sarovar Dam Viewpoints, and Bus Service along with the access to the Viewing gallery which is 500 ft from the ground.
First of all, we went to the statue where the lifts take you to the highest point which is the viewing gallery situated at the second button from the top. It is just a viewing gallery offering a panoramic view of the Sardar Sarovar Dam, its 256 km long reservoir, with the beautiful Vindhya and Satpura mountain ranges on both sides.
Lots of future development work is going around the area which can be seen from the top. Using my selfie stick I have also tried to take a closer look at the button and the face of the statue.
As we descended through the lift, we came to the museum. Detailed information about the life and contributions of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel in making a united India was depicted there. A movie was also shown in that museum summarizing his efforts. One can also read and view pictures of how the Statue of Unity has evolved over the years. One of our pictures with the foot shows how huge the statue is. It’s really a marvel.
We also went to the Butterfly Park and Valley of flowers. Though not fully complete but a lot of work is under progress. We can also do boating on the other side of the Dam, the price of which is extra (not included in the ticket). We had no time for boating as we have to come back.
They have a big food court on the premises as well, which offers a wide variety of food to opt for. Outside food is not allowed but water selling stalls are available everywhere. The basic conveniences were also very neat and clean. Travellators around the place were so helpful that even elderly people like us can also enjoy it.
One other thing which we had to miss was the Light and Sound show as we had our train back to Mumbai. There are many train options from Vadodara to Mumbai to choose from but we took a night train Vadodra Express to reach back Mumbai to be able to attend the rest of the family functions.
Few points not to be missed
- Hop on buses are very useful and the cost is included in all ticket pricing.
- Having many travellators this place is ideal for elderly people as well.
- Wheelchair facility is also available on request.
- It’s very tiring, so we should be cautious about the weather.
To conclude
Although we went to attend a family function to Mumbai but our extended trip to one of the biggest statues of the world was like a cherry on a cake which made our whole trip worth remembering.
