Lush canopies, elevated walkways, and the world's tallest statue on the horizon — Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, 31 October 2026, turned the spotlight on a new experiential tourism draw at Ekta Nagar, Kevadia in Gujarat, urging visitors to immerse themselves in the Rainforest attraction and its signature Skywalk, all framed by sweeping views of the Statue of Unity.

What the Rainforest and Skywalk offer at Kevadia

Modi described the experience as 'wonderful,' highlighting the Rainforest's 'lush greenery and nature' and calling the Skywalk a 'special attraction' that delivers a 'unique experience.' The elevated walkway is positioned to offer unobstructed sightlines of the 182-metre Statue of Unity — a vantage point that turns a nature trail into a monument-gazing platform in one visit.

The Statue of Unity, the world's tallest statue, depicts Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel — India's first Deputy Prime Minister and the leader credited with stitching together the country's princely states after independence. Modi inaugurated it on 31 October 2018, the 143rd birth anniversary of Patel, a date that has since anchored the site's identity as a national pilgrimage and tourism hub.

Ekta Nagar's transformation into an integrated eco-tourism zone

Ekta Nagar, formerly known simply as Kevadia, was formally renamed and redeveloped as a planned township to service the growing footfall around the Statue of Unity. The surrounding zone has been built out with riverfront facilities, a tent city, a jungle safari, a cactus garden, and now the Rainforest — each addition layering eco-tourism onto the site's core national-symbolism draw.

Modi has consistently used social media to amplify Gujarat's tourism infrastructure, and the pattern here is deliberate: pair a nature or adventure attraction with the gravitational pull of the Statue of Unity to extend average visitor dwell time and spread economic benefit across the Narmada district. For local hospitality, transport, and retail, each new attraction is a direct multiplier.

The broader pitch: nature, monument, and national memory in one frame

What makes the Ekta Nagar model distinctive is its layering — a visitor can walk through a rainforest canopy, step onto a skywalk, and look out at a monument that carries the weight of India's integration story, all within the same precinct. It is eco-tourism and civic education packaged together, aimed at families, school groups, and domestic travellers who form the backbone of India's surging internal tourism numbers.

With the Prime Minister personally amplifying the destination on the eve of Sardar Patel's birth anniversary — the date that gave the Statue of Unity its founding meaning — the timing of the post is anything but accidental.

The Skywalk's promise of 'breathtaking views' of the Statue of Unity may well be its sharpest selling point. The question now is whether footfall data will confirm what the photographs suggest: that Ekta Nagar has quietly become one of Gujarat's most complete single-destination tourism experiences.