We were looking for a near by places to visit with kids and family. Finally we got the details of Statue of Unity located in the Indian state of Gujarat (3 hr 25 min from Ahmedabad (197.9 km) ). It was unveiled on October 31, 2018, and stands as a tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a prominent leader in the Indian independence movement and the country's first Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs. e statue is in standing posture with both hands are placed on the side faces the Sardar Sarovar dam on river Narmada. The statue of the Sardar Patel is an aged one around the time of Independence, wearing kurta-dhoti, a Jacket and a shawl. The facial expressions are so well designed that it reflects his true "Iron Man" spirit.
So, On the first day, we left for Ahmedabad in the car to go to Statue of Unity and reached there around 12.30 P.M. I parked my car in the parking lot of Statue of Unity and went there by bus to see Statue of Sardar Patel. There is no car available to see the changing places. Electronic autos and buses are provided to take you there. There is a no permission to take your own car to see statue and other places, you can park your car from 3 or 4 km away from the places and you have to go by bus and electric pink rikshaw which is driven by ladies. Very beautiful natural scenery, greenery, cleanliness & clean atmosphere. We arrived at Unity by bus, and you have to leave your bags and extra food in the locker outside. There is a long road from the main gate to the Statue of Unity. And it takes 10 to 15 minutes to check in there. There was moving walkway & golf cart available to take you to the statue. We reached the bottom of the Statue and from there we entered the lift to go up and reached the top in the lift. There was a very beautiful view from up there. The beautiful flowing Narmada River and Sardar Dam. The zoo, butterfly garden, and cactus garden were also visible nearby. We came down in the elevator and there was a movie and other facilities to learn more about Sardar Patel.
We had lunch there and then took the bus to the hotel where we were to stay for 2 nights. We freshened up after reaching the hotel, and the kids really liked the place. There were games for the kids, a swimming pool, and a club house. We took our car at 7 pm and went to see the Narmada Aarti as instructed by the hotel traveler desk. The Narmada Maha Aarti, a spiritual ceremony honoring the Narmada river, is performed every evening at the Narmada Ghat near the Statue of Unity, typically around 7:30 PM to 8:00 PM.
We felt a lot of peace after performing Narmada Aarti. It was as if Narmada Maiya was with us. We went back to the hotel, had dinner, and went to bed for the second day's place visit.
On the second day, we woke up early in the morning, got ready, had breakfast, left the hotel, and boarded the bus to see other places. We reached the zoo by bus and stood near the entry gate. The gate was very big and all the wild animals were drawn on it. The kids liked it a lot and then entered the gate and visited all the animals. There are golf carts available to go from 1st to 2nd cages, and we found the birds section the most interesting.
Then we reached the hotel by taking an electronic auto.
From there we went to see the Glow Garden and the Flower of the Valley. From there, We went to the Pates Zone where the kids visited the Domestic Animals section. Then we reached the hotel by taking an electronic auto. Went to the hotel, freshened up and had lunch. Then we took our car and went to see the Cactus Garden and Butterfly Garden.
The Cactus Garden is a unique botanical garden at the Statue of Unity site. The garden harbours more than 70 species of butterflies in butterfly garden. Kids Enjoy a lot. We visited the local mall there. We also visited Sardar Dam & Dino Trail. We came back to the hotel, had dinner and rested. The 3rd day was Monday and everything was closed there. We calmly freshened up at the hotel, got ready, and left the hotel for Ahmedabad. We came back with so many beautiful memories. It was a great experience and you must visit this place at least once.
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