the Indian Parliament) as an MP in the 1960s.
[123]
Patel was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour,
in 1991.[124] It was announced in 2014 that his birthday, 31 October, would become
an annual national celebration known as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day).
[125] In 2012, Patel was ranked third in Outlook India's poll of the Greatest
Indian.[126]
Patel's family home in Karamsad is preserved in his memory.[127] The Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial in Ahmedabad was established in 1980 at the
Moti Shahi Mahal. It comprises a museum, a gallery of portraits and historical
pictures, and a library containing important documents and books associated with
Patel and his life. Amongst the exhibits are many of Patel's personal effects and
relics from various periods of his personal and political life.[128]
Patel is the namesake of many public institutions in India. A major initiative to
build dams, canals, and hydroelectric power plants in the Narmada River valley to
provide a tri-state area with drinking water and electricity and to increase
agricultural production was named the Sardar Sarovar. Patel is also the namesake of
the Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology in Surat, Sardar Patel
University, Sardar Patel High School, and the Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, and Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel University Of Agriculture and Technology in Meerut [U.P.].
India's national police training academy is also named after him.[129]
The international airport of Ahmedabad is named after him. Also the international
cricket stadium of Ahmedabad (also known as the Motera Stadium) is named after him.
A national cricket stadium in Navrangpura, Ahmedabad, used for national matches and
events, is also named after him. The chief outer ring road encircling Ahmedabad is
named S P Ring Road. The Gujarat government's institution for training government
functionaries is named Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration.[citation
needed]
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day), celebrated annual on 31 October, was
introduced by the Government of India and inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in 2014. The official statement for Rashtriya Ekta Diwas by the Home
Ministry of India cites that the National Unity Day "will provide an opportunity to
re-affirm the inherent strength and resilience of our nation to withstand the
actual and potential threats to the unity, integrity and security of our
country."[130]
National Unity Day celebrates the birthday of Patel because, during his term as
Home Minister of India, he is credited for the integration of over 550 independent
princely states into India from 1947 to 1949 by Independence Act (1947). He is
known as the "Bismarck of India".[b][131][132]
Commemorative stamps
Commemorative stamps released by India Post (by year) –
1965
1965
1975
1975
1997
1997
2008
2008
2016
2016
A commemorative postage stamp on National Unity Day(31st October), Salute to the
Unifier of India was issued on 31st October, 2016 by Department of Posts,
Government of India.
A commemorative postage stamp on National Unity Day(31st October), Salute to the
Unifier of India was issued on 31st October, 2016 by Department of Posts,
Government of India.
Statue of Unity
Main article: Statue of Unity
Sardar Vallabhai Patel Statue of Unity in Gujarat, India
The Statue of Unity is a monument dedicated to Patel, located in the Indian state
of Gujarat, facing the Narmada Dam, 3.2 km away from Sadhu Bet near Vadodara. At
the height of 182 metres (597 feet), it is the world's tallest statue, exceeding
the Spring Temple Buddha by 54 meters.[133] This statue and related structures are
spread over 20,000 square meters and are surrounded by an artificial lake spread
across 12 km and cost an estimated 29.8 billion rupees ($425m).[133] It was
inaugurated by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 31 October 2018, the 143rd
anniversary of Patel's birth. The height of the statue in meters has been picked to
match the total assembly constituencies in Gujarat.[134]
Other institutions and monuments
Main article: List of things named after Vallabhbhai Patel
Patel statue at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Chowk, Katra Gulab Singh, Pratapgarh[c]
Sardar Patel Memorial Trust
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial, Ahmedabad
Sardar Sarovar Dam, Gujarat
