Statue of Equality: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5th February 2022 inaugurated the 'Statue of Equality' in Hyderabad to commemorate the 11th-century Hindu saint Sri Ramanujacharya.
Note: He promoted the idea of equality in all aspects of living including faith, caste and creedâ€.
Key Points about the Statue of Equality:
- The Statue is made of 'panchaloha', a combination of five metals: gold, silver, copper, brass, and zinc.
- The 216-foot tall statue is among the tallest metallic sitting statues in the world.
- The statue has been conceptualised by Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swami of Sri Ramanujacharya Ashram.
- The statue is mounted on a 54-feet high base building named 'Bhadra Vedi'.
- The building has floors devoted for a Vedic digital library and research centre, ancient Indian texts, a theatre, an educational gallery detailing many works of Sri Ramanujacharya.
- It is built at Muchintal, a village in Telangana.
- The statue is located near the Hyderabad International Airport at Shamshabad.
- The foundation stone was laid in 2014.
The inauguration of the Statue of Equality is a part of the 12-day Sri Ramanuja Sahasrabdi Samaroham, the ongoing 1000th birth anniversary celebrations of Sri Ramanujacharya.
About Ramanujacharya:
- Ramanuja (1017 - 1137 CE) also known as Ramanujacharya was a Hindu philosopher, theologian, social reformer.
- He was born into a Tamil Brahmin Community, in a village called Sriperumbudur (present-day Tamil Nadu).
- He was one of the most important exponents of the Sri Vaishnavism tradition within Hinduism.
- His philosophical foundations for devotionalism were influential to the Bhakti movement.
- He was a philosophical as well as a social reformer, displaying a catholicity that was nearly unparalleled in Hindu religious history before him.
- He revitalized Indian philosophy and popular religion so much that nearly every aspect of Hinduism has been influenced by his work.
- His life and works show a truly unique personality, combining contemplative insight, logical acumen, catholicity, charismatic energy, and selfless dedication to God.
- He promoted the idea of equality in all aspects of living including faith, caste and creedâ€.