7 Things to Do in Kevadia, Home to the World's Tallest Statue

Kevadia sits on the banks of the Narmada River in Gujarat's Narmada district, a town that grew up around the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam and has since been developed into a dedicated tourism hub anchored by the Statue of Unity, a memorial to independence-era statesman Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Most of the area's attractions were purpose-built over the past decade specifically to give visitors a reason to stay beyond a single afternoon at the statue.

1. The Statue of Unity and its viewing gallery

At 182 metres, the Statue of Unity is recognised as the tallest statue in the world, inaugurated in October 2018. A viewing gallery inside the statue's chest, reached by high-speed lift, gives visitors an elevated view over the Sardar Sarovar Dam and the surrounding Satpura and Vindhya hill ranges.

View on Google Maps →

2. Sardar Sarovar Dam

One of India's largest dams on the Narmada River, the Sardar Sarovar Dam is visible directly from the statue's base and viewing gallery. Its scale, and the reservoir it holds back, gives a sense of the engineering project that shaped the entire region long before the statue was built alongside it.

3. Valley of Flowers, Kevadia

A landscaped garden built into a ravine near the statue complex, Kevadia's Valley of Flowers is planted with a rotating seasonal display and laid out with walking paths, offering a quieter, slower-paced counterpoint to the statue's crowds.

4. Cactus Garden

One of India's larger cactus collections, this garden near the Statue of Unity complex brings together a wide range of cacti and succulent species from arid regions around the world, arranged across landscaped terraces.

5. Jungle Safari Kevadia

A large enclosed safari park near the statue lets visitors drive or walk through zones housing a range of Indian and African wildlife species, developed as a family-oriented addition to the area's more solemn memorial sites.

6. Zarwani waterfall and eco-tourism site

A short drive from the main statue complex, Zarwani is a forested spot on a tributary of the Narmada known for its waterfall and eco-tourism activities such as rappelling and river crossings, best visited during and shortly after the monsoon when water levels are highest.

7. Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary

Kevadia sits close to the edge of the Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, a forested reserve in the Satpura hill range that offers a genuinely quieter, less developed contrast to the statue complex for travellers with an extra day to spend in the area.

Traveller tips

• Statue of Unity tickets for the viewing gallery are capped daily and often need to be booked online in advance, especially around weekends and holidays.
• Vadodara is the nearest major city and rail hub, roughly 90 kilometres away, with onward road transport to Kevadia.
• Winter (November to February) offers the most comfortable weather for a full day out at the statue complex.
• Most of Kevadia's attractions are spread out and best covered with a full day and private or shared transport rather than on foot.