Sardar Patel’s Statue of Unity is located on the Narmada river, near the city of Rajpipla and town of Kevadia. The nearest airport is about 100 km away.
New Delhi: India is now home to the tallest statue in the world — a 182-metre high tribute to the country’s first deputy prime minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The statue, built in Patel’s home state of Gujarat, was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi Wednesday.
Apart from paying tribute to the late leader, the statue is also meant to boost tourism. But do you know where it is and how to get there?
The Statue of Unity has been built on the Narmada river near the Sardar Sarovar Dam, also named after the late leader. The nearest town is Kevadia, and the nearest city is Rajpipla, about 25 kilometres away.
Rajpipla, the seat of an eponymous former princely state, is popular for its temples and waterfalls. Kevadia is a tribal-dominated town that’s a go-to spot for bird-watchers and nature lovers.
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No easy way
There are three ways to reach the Statue of Unity by air — via Vadodara, Surat and Ahmedabad. None of them is particularly close, though — Vadodara airport is about 95 kilometres away, Surat 164 kilometres and Ahmedabad about 200 kilometres.
The Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation does run buses from Ahmedabad to Rajpipla, and you can find four options for online bookings. The journey takes about three hours by car, and more than double by bus. There are many public transport options from Rajpipla to Kevadia, and some direct options from Ahmedabad to Kevadia too, since it’s a popular weekend destination for Gujaratis.
If you choose to travel via Vadodara, the road travel time is reduced by about two hours each.
From Surat, there is an additional option of rail travel — the Navjeevan Express takes five hours and 20 minutes to reach Rajpipla.
The biggest problem right now for tourists will be to get from Kevadia to the statue itself, because there are no taxi or bus services. Tourists will have to rely on auto-rickshaw drivers, who may charge exorbitant prices. Language could also prove to be a barrier, given the tribal-dominated nature of the region.
Nita Mahadev, a resident of Rajpipla, says: “Taking a personal vehicle is the only option since there is no taxi service available.”
The Statue of Unity website mentions a bus service priced at Rs 30, but the pick-up and drop points are not mentioned. A parking option is also mentioned, but details about the facility are sketchy as yet.
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Limited options for stay
The Gujarat government, in the last year, has built restaurants, golf courses and hotels in Kevadia to accommodate tourists, while another ongoing project is set to build 250 tents and a three-star hotel.
Rajpipla has very few hotels, with the only one listed online being Rajvanth Palace Resort, a heritage hotel. Better options are available only in the cities of Surat and Vadodara.