Statue of Equality to Be Unveiled on Feb 5: 10 Facts You Need to Know

The inner sanctorum deity of Ramanujacharya is made of 120 kg of gold to commemorate the 120 years the saint walked this earth.

Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil a 216-foot statue of Ramanujacharya, a 11th century saint and a social reformer, named ‘Statue of Equality’ in Hyderabad on February 5. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao would be co-hosting the event with renowned spiritual guru Chinna Jeeyar Swami. Several other chief ministers, politicians, celebrities and actors would also attend the function. The foundation stone for the project was laid in 2014.

Chinna Jeeyar Swami, said: “We heartily welcome everyone including chief guests, dignitaries, devotees, and people from all walks of life for the grand opening of Statue of Equality. Bhagavad Ramanujacharya has remained a true icon of equality for 1,000 years and this project will ensure his teachings are practiced for at least another 1,000 years.”

Telangana CM KCR visited Statue of Equality to oversee arrangements in progress for the inauguration. (Photo: Facebook)

Here are 10 important facts you need to know about the Statue of Equality:

1. The Statue of Equality is 216-foot tall and located in a 45-acre complex at Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad city.
2. The Rs 1,000-crore project was funded entirely by donations from devotees globally.
3. It is billed as the world’s second tallest statue in a sitting position. The Buddha statue in Thailand is said to be the world’s tallest statue in a sitting pose.
4. The inner sanctorum deity of Ramanujacharya is made of 120 kg of gold to commemorate the 120 years the saint walked this earth. President Ram Nath Kovind would unveil the inner chamber of the statue of Ramanuja on February 13.
5. The inauguration event will include a 1,035 ‘yaaga’ fire oblation, said to be the largest in modern history. The event will also have other spiritual activities like mass mantra-chanting which will be conducted as part of Ramanuja Sahasrabdi Samaroham’.
6. The statue is composed of ‘panchaloha’, a combination of five metals comprising gold, silver, copper, brass, and zinc.
7. The complex has identical recreations of 108 Divya Desams, the 108 ornately carved Vishnu temples mentioned in the works of the Alvars, mystic Tamil saints.
8. The 54-foot high base building, named ‘Bhadra Vedi’, has dedicated floors for a Vedic digital library and research centre, ancient Indian texts, a theatre, an educational gallery and a robust multi-language audio tour detailing many works of Sri Ramanuja Acharya.
9. The Ramanujacharya statue is being unveiled on 1,000th birth anniversary of the saint.
10. It is called the Statue of Equality as Sri Ramanujacharya is a timeless icon of equality for social reformists around the world.

About Sri Ramanujacharya:

Born in 1017 at Sri Perumbudur in Tamil Nadu, Ramanujacharya liberated millions from social, cultural, gender, educational and economic discrimination with the foundational conviction that every human is equal regardless of nationality, gender, race, caste or creed.

He opened the doors of temples to all people, including those subjected to extreme discrimination. He remains a timeless icon of equality for social reformists around the world.

“Our mission is to make Statue of Equality a culturally paramount destination for people across the globe and inspire everyone to make the world a more equal place to live. Today, as the world is fraught with divisiveness and populism, the need of the hour is Sri Ramanujacharya’s ideology. A torch bearer of Vaishnavism, Bhagavad Ramanuja distilled the essence of Vedas and ancient wisdom to promote the timeless message of equality. Inherently, non-discrimination and equality are the cornerstones of life,” the Chinna Jeeyar Swami explained.