Editing Vallabhbhai Patel (section)

== Legacy ==
{{main article|List of things named after Vallabhbhai Patel}}
[[File:A021 (Small).jpg|thumb|The central hall of the [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial]]]] [[File:Patelcoat.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|The coat of Patel, on display at the [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial]], Ahmedabad]]

Patel is a widely celebrated Indian freedom fighter in India, as well as a respected leader. In his eulogy, delivered the day after Patel's death, [[Girija Shankar Bajpai]], the Secretary-General of the Ministry of External Affairs, paid tribute to "a great patriot, a great administrator and a great man. Patel was all three, a rare combination in any historic epoch and in any country."<ref name="mourn" /> Bajpai lauded Patel for his achievements as a patriot and as an administrator, notably his vital role in securing India's stability in the aftermath of Independence and Partition:

{{Quote box
| quote = ...History holds many examples of the fruits of freedom squandered by lack of attention to stability and order, the twin foundations of society. Though a revolutionary in his fight against foreign rule, Sardar Patel was no believer in abrupt or violent change; progress by evolution was really his motto. And so, although in August 1947 power changed hands, and with it the spirit of the administration, the machinery of Government was preserved. As Home Minister and Minister for States, the Sardar had a double task, conservative in the good sense of the word, in what had been Provinces in the old India, creative in the Indian States. Neither was easy. To the ordinary stresses of a transition caused by the withdrawal of trained personnel which had wielded all power for a hundred years was added the strain of partition, and the immense human upheavals and suffering that followed it. The fate of our new State hung in the balance during those perilous months when millions moved across the new frontiers under conditions which are still vivid—indeed, too vivid—in our memories, and therefore, need not be described. That despite some oscillation the scales stayed steady was due not only to the faith of the people in its leaders, but to the firm will and strong hand of the new Home Minister.
| source = Official Records of Patel's death<ref name="mourn">{{Cite web |title=Officials Mourn Sardar's Death – Pledge of Service to the Land – Secretary-General's Tribute to the Departed Statesman |url=http://pib.nic.in/archive/docs/DVD_38/ACC%20NO%20807-BR/HOM-1950-12-15_621.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808193914/http://pib.nic.in/archive/docs/DVD_38/ACC%20NO%20807-BR/HOM-1950-12-15_621.pdf |archive-date=8 August 2017 |website=Press Information Bureau, Government of India – Archive |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
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}}

Among Patel's surviving family, [[Maniben Patel]] lived in a flat in Bombay for the rest of her life following her father's death; she often led the work of the [[Sardar Patel Memorial Trust]], which organises the prestigious annual [[Sardar Patel Memorial Lectures]], and other charitable organisations. [[Dahyabhai Patel]] was a businessman who was elected to serve in the [[Lok Sabha]] (the [[lower house]] of the [[Parliament of India|Indian Parliament]]) as an [[Member of Parliament#India|MP]] in the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Padmavathi |first1=S. |title=Mahatma Gandhi Assassination: J.L. Kapur Commission Report – Part 2 |last2=Hariprasath |first2=D.G. Hari |date=2017 |publisher=Notion Press, Inc |edition=1st}}</ref>

Patel was posthumously awarded the [[Bharat Ratna]], India's highest civilian honour, in 1991.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=8PLeQ8sM06kC&pg=PA498 Blueprint to Bluewater, the Indian Navy, 1951–65], Satyindra Singh, Lancer Publisher</ref> It was announced in 2014 that his birthday, 31 October, would become an annual national celebration known as [[Rashtriya Ekta Diwas]] (National Unity Day).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rao |first=Yogita |date=26 October 2014 |title=Most schools may skip Ekta Diwas for Diwali break |work=The Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Most-schools-may-skip-Ekta-Diwas-for-Diwali-break/articleshow/44936240.cms |access-date=25 February 2015 |archive-date=2 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102162405/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Most-schools-may-skip-Ekta-Diwas-for-Diwali-break/articleshow/44936240.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2012, Patel was ranked third in [[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook India's]] poll of [[the Greatest Indian]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Measure of the Man|date=5 February 2022|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/a-measure-of-the-man/281949|access-date=16 January 2019|archive-date=1 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501020655/https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/a-measure-of-the-man/281949|url-status=live}}</ref>

Patel's family home in Karamsad is preserved in his memory.<ref>{{Citation |title=Rupani lauds armed forces for POK strikes |date=1 October 2016 |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/Rupani-lauds-armed-forces-for-POK-strikes/articleshow/54621235.cms |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=31 October 2016 |archive-date=19 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019214742/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/Rupani-lauds-armed-forces-for-POK-strikes/articleshow/54621235.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.{{sfn|Syed|2010|p=27}}

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 Project|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 [[Indian Police Service|national police training academy]] is also named after him.<ref>{{Citation |title=Arun Jaitely asks policemen to deploy all tools to tackle new-age crime |date=28 October 2016 |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/arun-jaitely-asks-policemen-to-deploy-all-tools-to-tackle-new-age-crime-3727146 |work=[[The Indian Express]] |access-date=31 October 2016 |archive-date=31 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031212410/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/arun-jaitely-asks-policemen-to-deploy-all-tools-to-tackle-new-age-crime-3727146/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport|international airport]] of [[Ahmedabad]] is named after him. Also the [[Sardar Patel Stadium|international cricket stadium]] of Ahmedabad (also known as the [[Motera]] Stadium) is named after him. A [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad|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{{nbsp}}P Ring Road. The Gujarat government's institution for training government functionaries is named Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}

=== 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 [[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|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."<ref>{{Citation |title=Observance of the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on 31st October |date=24 October 2014 |url=http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=110785 |work=pib.nic.in |place=New Delhi |publisher=[[National Informatics Centre]] |agency=[[Press Information Bureau]] |access-date=31 October 2017 |archive-date=7 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107021835/http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=110785 |url-status=live }}</ref>

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 of India|princely states]] into India from 1947 to 1949 by Independence Act (1947). He is known as the "[[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarck]] of India".{{efn|[[Otto von Bismarck]] was known for the 1871 [[unification of Germany]].}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rao |first1=Yogita |title=Most schools may skip Ekta Diwas for Diwali break |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Most-schools-may-skip-Ekta-Diwas-for-Diwali-break/articleshow/44936240.cms |access-date=12 February 2021 |work=The Times of India |date=26 October 2014 |language=en |archive-date=22 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222032409/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Most-schools-may-skip-Ekta-Diwas-for-Diwali-break/articleshow/44936240.cms |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Government to observe Sardar Patel birth anniversary in big way |url=http://ianslive.in/index.php?param=news/Government_to_observe_Sardar_Patel_birth_anniversary_in_big_way-450637/NATION/1 |access-date=12 February 2021 |work=IANS Live |date=26 October 2014 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304223808/http://ianslive.in/index.php?param=news/Government_to_observe_Sardar_Patel_birth_anniversary_in_big_way-450637/NATION/1 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Commemorative stamps===
Commemorative stamps released by [[India Post]] (by year) –
<gallery>
File:Vallabhbhai Patel 1965 stamp of India.jpg|1965
File:Vallabhbhai Patel 1975 stamp of India.jpg|1975
File:Vallabhbhai Patel 1997 stamp of India.jpg|1997
File:Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy 2008 stamp of India.jpg|2008
File:Vallabhbhai Patel 2016 stamp of India.jpg|2016
File:Stamp of India - 2016 - Colnect 804349 - National Unity Day Salute to the Unifier of India.jpeg|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.
</gallery>

=== ''Statue of Unity'' ===
{{Main|Statue of Unity}}
[[File:Statue_of_Unity.jpg|thumb|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&nbsp;km away from Sadhu Bet near [[Vadodara]]. At the height of 182 metres (597 feet), it is the world's [[List of tallest statues|tallest statue]], exceeding the [[Spring Temple Buddha]] by 54 meters.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=31 October 2018 |title=India unveils world's tallest statue |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-46028342 |access-date=31 October 2018 |archive-date=31 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031055342/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-46028342 |url-status=live }}</ref> This statue and related structures are spread over 20,000 square meters and are surrounded by an artificial lake spread across 12&nbsp;km and cost an estimated 29.8&nbsp;billion rupees ($425m).<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref>{{Cite news |date=31 October 2018 |title=Statue of Unity: How it compares with other renowned statues |work=India Today |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/statue-of-unity-how-it-compares-with-other-renowned-statues-1379238-2018-10-31 |access-date=22 March 2020 |archive-date=22 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322131448/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/statue-of-unity-how-it-compares-with-other-renowned-statues-1379238-2018-10-31 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Other institutions and monuments ===
{{main article|List of things named after Vallabhbhai Patel}}
[[File:Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel statue at Katra Gulab Singh.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Patel statue at [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Chowk]], [[Katra Gulab Singh]], [[Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh|Pratapgarh]]{{efn|The statue of Sardar Vallabhai Patel is about 182 meters tall and located near the Narmada Dam, 3.2&nbsp;km away on the river island called Bet, near Vadodara in Gujarat.}}]]

{{Div col}}
*[[Sardar Patel Memorial Trust]]
*[[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial]], [[Ahmedabad]]
*[[Sardar Sarovar Dam]], Gujarat
*[[Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat]]
*[[Sardar Patel University]], Gujarat
*[[Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice]], [[Jodhpur]]
*[[Sardar Patel Institute of Technology]], [[Vasad]]
*[[Sardar Patel Vidyalaya]], New Delhi
*[[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy]], [[Hyderabad]]
*[[Sardar Patel College of Engineering]], [[Mumbai]]
*[[Sardar Patel Institute of Technology]], [[Mumbai]]
*[[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Chowk]] in [[Katra Gulab Singh]], [[Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh|Pratapgarh]], Uttar Pradesh
*[[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Technology]], [[Vasad]]
*[[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport]], [[Ahmedabad]]
*[[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Police Museum]], [[Kollam]]
*[[Sardar Patel Stadium]]
*[[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad]]
*[[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology]]
*[[Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute]]
*[[Statue of Unity]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 October 2018 |title=PM Modi dedicates Statue of Unity to the Nation &#124; Only Kashmir – Behind the News |url=http://onlykashmir.in/21314/pm-modi-dedicates-statue-of-unity-to-the-nation/ |access-date=31 October 2018 |archive-date=31 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031214903/http://onlykashmir.in/21314/pm-modi-dedicates-statue-of-unity-to-the-nation/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{Div col end}}
*[[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology]], [[Meerut]]{{fact|date=December 2024}}