Close to Odisha’s well-known Chilika Lake getting its first luxurious houseboat, Gujarat too is offering viewing of its popular tourist spot Statue of Unity – world’s tallest statue depicting Indian leader Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel — from a houseboat in Narmada river in Ekta Nagar.
Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2018, the Statue of Unity has seen more than 8 billion visiting it and encouraged by these figures, the Ekta Houseboat is being developed to allow tourists to have a different experience.
The boat is located at a spot that overlooks the seaplane runway of the Sardar Sarovar Dam while providing a panoramic view of the Sardar Patel statue in the distance.
Inspired by Srinagar’s famous houseboats on the Dal Lake, it is a public-private-partnership project with the State Government providing the space while OYO making the investment.
Spanning 90 by 20 feet, the houseboat is built in Kashmiri style and has two bedrooms, two common areas, a front deck and an observation deck on the top. Besides, it has a flameless kitchen, fully-powered DG and DRDO-approved zero waste discharge system. Marine grade steel with a flat bottom design has been used for stable seating.
More than 100 craftsmen from different parts of the country were involved in building this boat in around 150 days.
The exterior is made of wood polymer and has extensive Kashmiri design work while the interior provides a truly Gujarati experience starting from Rajwadi and Sankheda furniture to walls inside which are decorated with Gujarati art forms like Lipan Kaam (mud painting), Rogan, Pithora and Warli.
