Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Statue of Unity dedicated to 'Iron Man' Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the country's first Home Minister on the occasion his 143rd birth anniversary on Wednesday.


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The structure that stands 182 meters tall is the World's tallest statue.  Internationally acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik shared pics of his sand art dedicated to the Statue of Unity.


He wrote: "As an artist, i extend my congratulations to the entire team for #StatueOfUnity . My SandArt at Puri beach on this momentous occasion. Tributes to Iron Man of India. #SardarVallabhbhaiPatel (sic)."



"Rich tributes to the “Iron Man” #SardarVallabhbhaiPatel on his birth anniversary. My SandArt at puri beach in Odisha. (sic)."



Located on Sadhu-Bet Island, Gujarat, the 182-metre tall statue occupies over 20,000 square meters, and is surrounded by a 12 square km artificial lake.


The birthday of India`s Iron Man is being observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day since the year 2014. The day is to be marked by people taking a pledge to protect the unity and integrity of the nation and is also marked by Run for Unity events being organised across the country.


Sardar played a vital role in bringing together the princely states and integrating them into the Indian union in 1947.


(With ANI inputs)