--- --- Aug 21, 2019 # Statue of Unity Gujarat, India by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff  Kites fly near the Statue of Unity, the world's tallest statue, during the International Kite Festival at Kevadiya Colony, India, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019\. Kite flyers from several countries are participating in the festival that is annually held on the Sabarmati riverfront. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki) Kites fly near the Statue of Unity, the world's tallest statue, during the International Kite Festival at Kevadiya Colony, India, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019\. Kite flyers from several countries are participating in the festival that is annually held on the Sabarmati riverfront. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)Ajit Solanki—AP The [world’s tallest statue](https://statueofunity.in/), which was unveiled last fall, stands at 597 ft. on an island in the Narmada River. It towers over the Sardar Sarovar Dam in the western Indian state of Gujarat, offering visitors the chance to see views of nearby mountain ranges from its chest. The tourist attraction pays homage to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who became India’s first Deputy Prime Minister in 1947\. Although Patel is touted as a symbol of national unity, he has more recently been claimed as an icon of right-wing Hindu nationalists—meaning that to some critics, the record-breaking statue is a monument to the country’s political divisions, as well as to Patel. _—Abhishyant Kidangoor_ Statue of Unity Is One of the World’s Greatest Places ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2019/5654136/statue-of-unity-gujarat-india/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2019/5654136/statue-of-unity-gujarat-india/"},"headline":"Statue of Unity","datePublished":"2019-08-21T18:41:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:32:26.790Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2019/5654136/statue-of-unity-gujarat-india/","keywords":["World's Greatest Places","World's Greatest Places 2019"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c87cf52d65163a4/698a017a4ee2624dca3161cf/statue-of-unity-india-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c87cf52d65163a4/698a017a4ee2624dca3161cf/statue-of-unity-india-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2019/5654136/statue-of-unity-gujarat-india/","name":"Statue of Unity"}}]}] ```