New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil a 216-foot tall statue of 11th-century social reformer and saint, Ramanujacharya in Hyderabad on February 5. According to a statement issued by Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji`s ashram, the statue billed as the world`s second-largest statue in a sitting position is situated at a 45-acre complex area on the outskirts of the city. 

Later on February 13, President Ram Nath Kovind will unveil the inner chamber`s golden statue of Ramanuja, weighing 120 kg.

In his comments, 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."

All you need to know about the Statue of Equality

• The outdoor 216-ft Statue of Equality will be the world`s second tallest statue featuring a sitting posture. The Buddha statue in Thailand is said to be the world`s tallest statue in a sitting pose.
• It is composed of `panchaloha`, a combination of five metals comprising gold, silver, copper, brass, and zinc.
• The inner sanctorum deity of Sri Ramanujacharya is made of 120 kilos of gold to commemorate the 120 years the saint spent on earth.
• The Rs 1,000-crore project was funded by donations from devotees globally.
• 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. 

Telangana tourism minister V Srinivas Goud, who inspected the arrangements for the statue unveiling ceremony at the Chinna Jeeyar ashram on Sunday, confirmed that the prime minister would be unveiling the statue of Vaishnavaite saint Ramanujacharya.

“The works are going at a brisk pace. Internal roads are being laid and power infrastructure works are nearing completion. It is going to be a spiritual hub for the entire world and a major tourist destination for people across the world,” Goud said.

According to Yellapragada, the Statue of Equality is the second tallest in seated position depicting Saint Ramanujacharya and was built to commemorate the 1,000 years of his birth. The total cost of the project is around ₹1,000 crore.

“The 11th-century saint, who fought against discrimination of people in the name of caste, color, and creed, propounded the theory of Vishishtadvaitha (qualified dualism), which says the God exists in all living beings,” he said.

The 216-ft panchaloha statue, made of five metals – gold, silver, copper, brass, and tin – was erected in 2017 itself, but it took four years for the completion of works on the other constructions.

According to chief sculptor DNV Prasad, the statue of Saint Ramanujacharya in the seated position has been positioned on a huge lotus built over a three-storied 54-ft structure called Bhadravedi. The ground floor comprising 63,444 square feet area will have a pictorial presentation providing glimpses of Ramanujacharya’s life and his philosophy.

On the second floor, there is a temple of Ramanujacharya in a nearly 300,000 sq ft area, where a 120 kg gold statue of him will be installed for daily worship. And on the last floor of 14,700 sq ft, there will be a Vedic digital library and research center.

Outside the Bhadravedi, the statue will be surrounded by 108 Divya Desa Kshetras (Vaishnavite temples located across the country) built-in stone in a 34-acre land around the statue.

To give the project a universal appeal, ashram authorities are also contemplating the installation of flags belonging to all the countries in the world, including Islamic countries. “There is no discrimination of people based on their religion and region. We want to tell the entire world through this project that all human beings are equal, irrespective of the religions they practice and ways of life they lead,” Prasad said.

"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 torchbearer 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. The foundation stone for the project was laid in 2014. 

1,000th birth anniversary of Sri Ramanujacharya

To celebrate the 1,000th birth anniversary of the saint, several events including a 1035 yajna (fire ritual), and spiritual activities such as mass mantra chanting are to be conducted as part of Sri Ramanuja Sahasrabdi `Samaroham`. Events will begin on February 2, and Telangana Chief Minister Chandrashekar Rao will be co-hosting the event with Chinna Jeeyar Swami. Several other chief ministers, politicians, celebrities, and actors are also expected to attend the function.

Why a Statue of Ra:ma:nuja:charya? Why call it the Statue of Equality?

The simplest answer would be…. It was the vision of H.H.Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji. If the vision is so magnificent, imagine the personality that inspired the vision….. awe-inspiring, to put it mildly. The Statue exudes the persona of Ra:ma:nu:jacha:rya

• always calm, but ready for action…
• an observer, but a social reformer….
• a spiritual leader, but a revolutionary….
• a constant inspiration, in his lifetime and also across the span of time.

Few highlight about Ra:ma:nuja:charya

• Born in 1017, at Sriperumbudur, Ra:ma:nu:jacha:rya traveled across Bharat, understanding the way of life of all sections, at the same time, focusing on individual needs.
• For the welfare and well-being of all, Ra:ma:nu:jacha:rya presented the essence of Vedas in the form of 9 scriptures. The purity of his own heart enabled him to convince his mentors, rulers, bureaucrats, elite and common man to tread the path of Bhakti, divine love.
• Sri Ra:ma:nu:jacha:rya, the torchbearer of Vaishnavism, was a preceptor of the Bhakti movement. He dispelled the Mayavada concept that the world is illusionary and also cleared many misconceptions
• He was the source for all other Bhakti branches of thought. Having dived into the depths of Ra:ma:nu:jacha:rya’s ocean of Vaishnav devotion for Lord Vishnu, Kabir, Meerabai, Annama:cha:rya, Ramda:s, Thya:gara:ja, and many others evolved as mystic poets.

But why Statue of Equality?

Read on to understand why Ra:ma:nu:jacha:rya is referred to as an icon of Equality.

Equality Across Religions

The daughter of the then Sultan of Delhi was intensely attached to the deity of Sampath Kumar Perumal, who had been lifted by Mughal rulers from Melkote and gifted to the Sultan. When the deity chose to return to Melkote with Ra:ma:nu:jacha:rya, she missed Him so much that she had to travel to Melkote. On seeing the deity, the thought of separation once again led to her passing away on the spot. Ra:ma:nu:jacha:rya drew an analogy with Goda Devi, who united with Lord Ranganatha in a similar fashion. The Muslim Sulthan’s daughter was named “Bibi Nachiyar” and her statue was installed and worshipped in the precincts of the temple.

Equality Across Castes

The world identifies Bharat with casteism, not realizing that it began as a division based on vocations. It’s unfortunate that untouchability burst forth as an issue.

In the times of Ra:ma:nu:jacha:rya, temples were the centers of administration, under the control of one section of society, one particular caste. Ra:ma:nu:jacha:rya, encouraged inclusiveness by allotting 50% of tasks to persons belonging to the rest of the castes. That’s the reason, from then on, there are no restrictions based on caste, to enter temples.

However, the relapse of casteism occurred during the foreign rules in Bharath. Caste was used as a ploy to divide and rule.
Over the 75 years of independence, casteism has been made into a cancerous growth in Indian society. The very purpose of The Statue Of Equality is to provide a panacea for it. Let the rulers and society be inspired.

Equality Across Social Status

One experiences happiness when a group of like-minded people, come together to ‘party’. Well, food is prominent when partying, isn’t it? In short, having food with someone indicates how close you are, and sharing food shows an even closer relationship. And guess what, eating someone else’s leftover food, infers that you treat the other person as an equal.

Ra:ma:nu:jacha:rya was born in a brahmin family, but he was desirous of having the leftover food of a great devotee from Ka:nchi, called Ka:nchi:pu:rna, though he was from a lower social status. He said social status is not a barrier when you truly enjoy and cherish the companionship of people with a common goal.

He gave importance, at par with the Vedas, to the songs sung by a:lwars about the glory of the Divya Desams. Some of these a:lwars were of the lower castes, but their songs were made mandatory in the temples.

In his old age, Ra:ma:nu:jacha:rya, while going for a bath to River Ka:ve:ri, would take the support of a brahmin scholar Da:saradhi. However, while returning they used to lean on the shoulder of Dhanurda:s, a low caste by birth. This talks volumes about the importance he gave to devotion over physical status by birth.

Equality Across Gender

There was a time, women were not even allowed to pray, chant God’s name!!!! Unimaginable, but true! They were not taught scriptures, rituals, slo:kas. We are talking about 1000+ years ago, the time when scriptures were the primary source of education in Vedic culture. Girls were denied this! Can you believe that males did not learn in front of the females so as to keep the knowledge secret!!! Today, though women have broken through many glass ceilings, we are still talking about gender equality. Ra:ma:nu:jacha:rya showed his concern for women in those tough days and opened learning channels for women. This is 1000+ years ago…… I bet there were no social media to create a commotion… it was a single A:cha:rya who sensed the need to educate all, so that everyone could experience knowledge… irrespective of their gender.

Leaving all that aside, let’s see how Ra:ma:nu:jacha:rya ensured equality among all castes:

• He shared the Mantra with everyone – irrespective of the caste. The only qualification he wanted was their being devoted and eager to learn.
• He made sure that people from all castes had a role to play in the upkeep of temples, the sources of inspiration. Note that temples were the hub of knowledge, employment, and culture, in those days … they were the universities, shopping centers, meeting points.

Ra:ma:nu:jacha:rya is that gigantic reservoir from which, all present-day schools of thought that advocate Equality, have flowed out as creeks, rivulets, and tributaries. This is a historical fact.

It’s been over a thousand years that this divine personality sanctified the earth by his presence. The world is advocating his ideology, without giving credit to him. His name remains in the shadows. So, the magical essence is missing and values are disappearing in society.

Invisible, but invincible, walls have been built, dividing society. Equality has become just another name. The need of the hour is the effulgence of Sri Ra:ma:nu:ja’s ideology.

His form and his word can inspire society. What better time to experience this inspiration, than the millennium of his birth!

That is why the Statue Of Equality has emerged. Let the Statue reverberate within you, echoes of Equality. Let these echoes become a yearning for Equality. Let this yearning get translated into actions leading to Equality.