Hyderabad: Everything about 216 ft tall Statue of Equality

Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Hyderabad today to inaugurate the 216-feet tall statue of Vaishnavite saint Ramanujacharya, called, the Statue of Equality, on the sprawling 40-acre ashram of Tridandi Chinna Jeer Swamy at Muchintal on the city outskirts.

In a tweet, PM Modi said, “At 5 PM, I will join the programme to inaugurate the ‘Statue of Equality.’ This is a fitting tribute to Sri Ramanujacharya, whose sacred thoughts and teachings inspire us.”

Who was Ramanujacharya?

• Born in 1017 in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, Ramanujacharya is revered as a Vedic philosopher and social reformer. He travelled across India, advocating equality and social justice.
• He revived the Bhakti movement, and his preachings inspired other Bhakti schools of thought.
• According to the ancient scriptures, he lived for 120 years.
• According to his followers, Ramanujacharya fought against social, cultural, gender, educational, and economic discrimination.
• Several scholars followed his path and the works of many ancient poets like Annamacharya, Bhakt Ramdas, Thyagaraja, Kabir, and Meerabai were inspired by him.
• He made education accessible to those who were the most deprived in those days and came up with the concept of Vasudhaiva kutumbakam.
• He is also believed to have taught about the protection of nature and its resources like air, water, and soil.
• He opened the doors of temples to all people, including those subjected to extreme discrimination.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Statue of Equality:

• The Statue is made of a combination of five metals called ‘Panchaloha’, which includes gold, silver, copper, brass, and zinc.
• It is the world’s second tallest statue in a sitting posture. The Buddha statue in Thailand is said to be the world’s tallest statue in a sitting pose.
• The statue has been mounted on a 54-feet high base building named ‘Bhadra Vedi’. The building has floors meant for a Vedic digital library and research centre, ancient Indian texts, a theatre, and an educational gallery detailing the works of Sri Ramanujacharya.
• In the complex, a temple of Ramanujacharya covering an area of about 300,000 square feet has also been constructed, where a 120 kg gold idol will be placed for daily worship.
• The statue has been conceptualised by Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swami of Sri Ramanujacharya Ashram. The foundation stone for the structure was laid in 2014.
• It is located at the 45-acre scenic Jeeyar Integrated Vedic Academy (JIVA) at Muchintal near Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
• The statue is also encircled by the replicas of 108 sacred shrines from the many parts of the country including Tirumala, Srirangam, Kanchi, Ahobilam, Badrinath, Muktinath, Ayodhya, Brindavan, Kumbhakonam, and others.

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