Statue of unity

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The statue on the inauguration day
Overall system

The statue of unity ( Hindi एकता की प्रतिमा , English Statue of Unity , Gujarati સ્ટેચ્યુ ઑફ યુનિટી "statue of unity"; Hindi एकत्व मूर्ति "unity statue ") is a colossal statue in the Indian state of Gujarat . It depicts the Indian independence fighter and politician Vallabhbhai Patel and is the tallest statue in the world at 182 meters. The statue was officially inaugurated on October 31, 2018, on the occasion of the 143rd anniversary of Patel's birthday.

Depicted person and political evaluation

Sardar Patel (1949)

" Sardar " Vallabhbhai Patel was a prominent Indian activist against British colonial rule in India. He was a close colleague of Mohandas Gandhi and, like him, came from the area of ​​what is now the western Indian state of Gujarat. After India was granted independence relatively hastily by Great Britain in 1947, Patel became Minister of the Interior in the interim government under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru . Before 1947, only about half the land area and two-thirds of the population were under direct British rule. The rest were under the rule of local princes who were in direct allegiance to the British crown. With the end of British rule, these more than 500 princely states were granted independence and had the opportunity, but no obligation, to join one of the two new states India or Pakistan. Patel's great historical achievement is generally seen in the role he played during those years. Through very skilful negotiations with the princely states (or newly formed unions of princely states) he managed (even under the exertion of discreet pressure, if necessary) to persuade them to join India in a largely non-violent and bloodless manner. In return for giving up their right to rule the princes received their material possessions guaranteed and also a prerogative ( privy purse ) from the Indian government. There were only three cases of major armed conflict: Hyderabad , Junagadh , and Kashmir .

Patel was a member of the Indian National Congress . In the early phase of independent India, the Congress Party was, in the perception of many contemporaries, shaped by two dominant personalities: on the one hand Nehru, the prime minister, and on the other hand Patel, his interior minister. Both were personal friends, but took different directions. Nehru was an avowed socialist and atheist and saw the Soviet Union as a model for India in many aspects of economic policy. Patel held more conservative views and was more committed to a "national-Indian" Hindu school of thought. For example, he advocated a more resolute policy towards Pakistan, which he viewed as an intolerant Muslim state in which Hindus were persecuted. Patel died in 1950, shortly after the constitution of the new Republic of India came into force . India's politics in the following years were largely determined by the ideas of Nehru, who remained Prime Minister of India until his death in 1964.

Patel is widely revered in Indian society. This applies in particular to supporters of Hindu nationalist parties, such as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) , which has ruled Delhi since 2014 . Prime Minister Narendra Modi (BJP) , who has been in office since 2014, made clear his dislike of Nehru on the one hand and his respect for Patel in multiple statements. If it was not the “socialist” Nehru who had become prime minister after independence, but the “nationally thinking” Patel, “all of Kashmir” would have been part of India today, the Prime Minister said in a parliamentary debate.

history

Size comparison of statues
1. Statue of unity: 240 m (incl. 58 m base)
2. Zhongyuan Buddha : 153 m
1. (incl. 25 m base and 20 m throne)
3. Statue of Liberty : 93 m (incl. 47 m base)
4. Mother's home statue (Volgograd): 87 m
1. (incl. 2 m base)
5. Cristo Redentor (Rio de Janeiro): 38 m
1. (incl. 8 m base)
6. Michelangelo's David (Florence)

The project of a colossal statue was first announced on October 7, 2010 by the then Chief Minister of Gujarat (and later Prime Minister) Narendra Modi at a press conference on the occasion of his ten-year tenure as Chief Minister.

To organize the construction, the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust (SVPRET) was founded, which carried out numerous fundraising throughout India for the project. The best known was the Loha campaign 2013–2014, which raised around 5000 tons of iron through donations.

Construction work began in October 2013 and was completed by the planned inauguration date in October 2018. The planned budget was also met.

Data of the structure

The statue stands on a peninsula in the Narmada River near the town of Rajpipla in the Narmada district of Gujarat. It lies between the foothills of the Satpura and Vindhya mountains .

The statue was planned by the Mumbai-based engineering firm Larsen & Toubro and built within three and a half years with the help of 250 engineers and 3000 workers. The sculptural design comes from Ram Vanji Sutar , who had previously created numerous sculptures of Indian personalities. The statue stands on a 58 meter high base and is 182 meters high. The total height is 240 m. The statue is accessible from the inside. At a height of 153 meters, at chest height, there is a viewing platform where visitors can look out through openings.

Structurally, the statue consists of two cylinders made of reinforced concrete inside, which are surrounded by a steel frame . The outer shell is covered with 8 mm thick bronze plates. During the construction, 1700 t of bronze were used inside , as well as another 1850 t for the bronze cladding, 210,000 m³ of concrete, 18,500 t of reinforcing steel and 6500 t of structural steel . The bronze plates were made in China.

The statue is designed to withstand wind speeds of up to 220 km / h and earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.5.

The cost of construction amounted to nearly 30 billion Indian rupees (379 million euros). With the exception of the donations, most of the costs were borne by the state of Gujarat. In the Union budget for 2014–2015, 2 billion rupees were made available for the construction.

criticism

The main criticism was the high costs of the project. The critics calculated to the government what else could have been financed with the money - urgently needed irrigation systems, new universities, technical colleges, etc. Proponents of the project countered that the statue was a project that was not directly involved Have monetary value assessed. The statue is a national symbol that all Indians can be proud of. Patel is a leading figure for future generations.

In the words of Prime Minister Modi:

“The statue will stand high, not just in meters and feet, but much more in terms of academic, historical, national and spiritual values. My vision is to develop the place as a source of inspiration for ages to come. "

“This statue will soar, not just measured in meters or feet, but much more in terms of its academic, historical, national and spiritual values. It is my vision to develop this place as a source of inspiration for the coming ages. "

- Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

On December 27, 2016, Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone in Mumbai for another colossal statue, which is to be slightly higher than the Statue of Unity. The statue is to Shivaji , a Maratha represent the 17th century.

Web links

Commons : Statue of Unity  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ^ VP Menon: The Story Of The Integration Of The Indian States . Longmens, Green & Co. Ltd, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras 1956 (English).
  2. ↑ Modi's Dislike For Nehru Cannot Obliterate The Facts. NDTV, February 9, 2018, accessed October 31, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Abhishek Kapoor: Jawaharlal Nehru Vs Sardar Patel Is Congress Vs BJP. Republic, October 31, 2018, accessed October 31, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Hiral Dave: For iron to build Sardar Patel statue, Modi goes to farmers. The Indian Express, July 8, 2013, accessed October 31, 2018 .
  5. ^ Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust (SVPRET). statueofunity.in, accessed October 31, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Aditi Raja: Iron collected from farmers unlikely to become part of Sardar Patel statue. The Indian Express, May 25, 2015, accessed October 31, 2018 .
  7. ↑ a b Statue of Unity inauguration: 8 astonishing facts about world's tallest statue dedicated to Sardar Patel. Finacial Express, October 31, 2018, accessed on October 31, 2018 .
  8. ↑ All you need to know about Sardar Patel Statue of Unity. indiatoday.in, October 31, 2018, accessed on October 31, 2018 .
  9. ↑ Sardar Patel's Statue of Unity inaugurated: World's tallest statue is an engineering marvel. livemint, October 31, 2018, accessed on October 31, 2018 .
  10. ↑ a b Indian farmers fume at $ 430m cost of Gujarat statue. BBC News, October 28, 2018, accessed October 31, 2018 .
  11. ↑ Union Budget 2014–15: Rs 200 crore for Statue of Unity. indiatoday.in, July 10, 2014, accessed on October 31, 2018 .
  12. ↑ IndiaSpend Team: The Statue of Unity Cost Rs 2,989 Crore. Here's What Else That Money Could Have Bought. The Wire, October 31, 2018, accessed October 31, 2018 .
  13. ^ Statue of Unity. Statue website, accessed October 28, 2018 .
  14. ^ Rama Lakshmi: How a half-billion-dollar statue is dividing India. December 27, 2016, accessed October 31, 2018 .

Coordinates: 21 ° 50 ′ 16 ″  N , 73 ° 43 ′ 8 ″  E