Statue of Unity and Kevadia Tourism Circuit

Why in news?

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated 17 tourism projects around the Statue of Unity (SoU), now called the ‘Kevadia Tourism Circuit’.

About Statue of Unity:

• The Statue of Unity is a colossal statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1875–1950).
• The statue is located in the state of Gujarat on the Narmada River in the Kevadiya colony.
• It is the world's tallest statue with a height of 182 metres (597 feet).
• It is located, facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam 100 kilometres (62 mi) southeast of the city of Vadodara.
• The Statue of Unity was built by a Public Private Partnership model, with most of the money raised by the Government of Gujarat.

Other attractions in the circuit:

• The circuit covers 35 tourist spots, out of which the Valley of Flowers, Vishwa Van, Jungle Safari, Cactus Garden, Butterfly Garden, Ekta Nursery, Tent City, Khalvani Eco-tourism, Zarwani Eco-tourism, Nauka Vihar and River Rafting, located around the periphery of the statue and the Narmada Dam, are already open.
• There are two aviaries, constructed as geodesic domes, claimed to be among the largest in the world: the Indian Aviary is 150 m long, 50 m wide, and 15 m high; the Exotic Aviary is 125 m long, 35 m wide and 18 m high.
• Sardar Patel Zoological Park and Jungle Safari : The park is spread over an area of 375 acres and houses more than 1100 animals and birds, including a large range of exotic species like wallaby, llama and alpaca, giraffe, zebra, blue wildebeest, gemsbok or oryx, and impala.
• Children’s Nutrition Park: The park is billed as the “world’s first technology driven Nutrition Park”. It will offer a “nutri-train” ride on a 600-m track around the 35,000 sq m park, passing through five theme-based stations: “Phalshaka Griham”, “Payonagari”, “Annapoorna”, “Poshan Puram” and “Swastha Bharatam”.
• A ropeway is coming up across the Narmada dam, connecting the two banks of the Narmada river.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following Statues and their Locations:
1.Gomateswara Statue,Sharavana Belagola : Karnataka
2.Basaveswara Statue, Basavakalyan : Maharashtra
3.Thiruvalluvar Statue, Vavathurai : Tamil Nadu
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
(a)1 and 2 only
(b)1 and 3 only
(c)2 and 3 only
(d)1,2 and 3

Answer to prelims question