Statue of Equality – Paving the Way for Equality

A golden saint sitting with folded hands and a soft smile on his face is located in Muchintal, Hyderabad, India. This grand statue is Ramanujacharya, a Hindu theologian, a pioneer of spiritual movements in India. It is the second tallest statue in sitting pose after the great Buddha statue in Thailand.

This statue is to be unveiled by the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi in February 2022 in remembrance of Ramanujacharya. The statue of Ramanujacharya is dedicated to the world to profess the beliefs and ideology of Ramanujacharya.

The height of this beautiful sculpture is 216 feet; a golden hue covers the statue under the bright blue sky. The foundation for this noble purpose was laid by Chinna Jeeyar. The construction of the statue of equality is funded by the donation collected across the world.

This sculpture commemorates the teaching of Ramanujacharya on his 1000 birth Anniversary.

Saint Bhagavad Ramanujacharya

Bhagavad Ramanujacharya was a spiritual leader, who uplifted the lower strata of society and professed Equality. He believed that God does not discriminate between his creations and loves each of them equally. Earlier, the lower strata of society were not allowed any entry or to pray inside temples, Acharya Ramanuja shunned these practices completely and paved the way for a new way of worship.

Saint Ramanujacharya was the contemporary of Shankaracharya. He is one of the great reformers of India who influenced the Bhakti Movement and many saints like Meera, Tulsidas, and Kabir. He believed in universal brotherhood and inspired people to lead a life incorporated with Vedic teachings.

Ramanujacharya helped the untouchables who were discarded by the caste system and embraced them. His compassion towards the oppressed won him the title of “Emperumanar”. This title was given to him by his Guru, it means “you are ahead of us”.

Shri Ramanujacharya called the subjugated people Thirukkulathar that means divine born. He revolted against the inhumane behavior of the high classes and allowed the untouchables to enter the temples and to pray.

Saint Ramanujacharya was a great visionary of India who was not restricted by the class distinction, to him every human being was a creation of God. He provided every privilege to the less privileged and loved them wholeheartedly.

He believed in Spiritual growth. He believed that superiority is not decided by class but by the spiritual realization and pure mind.

He said that the world is not illusionary, it is real, and this world is a divine form of God itself. Ramanujacharya also encouraged people to safeguard natural resources like rivers, air, water because he believed that everything that is created by God is Sacred. 

Bhagavad Ramanujacharya was a great philosopher, social reformer, a believer of Vishishtadvaita school, related to Vedanta. 

Throughout his life, he fought against the discriminatory nature of society, he raised his voice against the corrupt practices in temples. His philosophy of Vishishtadvaita became the foundation for many other Bhakti Movements.

He was not only a theologian but also a literary genius; he was respected by both classes of society. He wrote Nine scriptures and Brahma Sutras. He is an icon of equality, even at the present times, for the world. 

Statue of Equality – Information

“All are equal in the eyes of God”, Ramanujacharya lived his whole life following this belief. The statue teaches us to value every human being and love them regardless of their caste, religion, and status in society.

The statue of Equality is purely dedicated to the teachings of Ramanujacharya. It is to remember his noble ideas that made society more humane. He acted as the bridge between the literate and illiterates.

The statue of Equality inspires the world to follow the teachings of Ramanujacharya which are based on humanity and compassion.

The statue of Equality is located in Hyderabad, India. It covers approximately 334 acres of land. It has a giant statue of Shri Ramanujacharya.  The statue has 108 Divyadesams replicas surrounding it. A fountain of Chinese color with a mini statue of Ramanujacharya is also constructed here.

The budget of this project is around INR 1000 crore. The idea to build a statue of equality was given by Sri Chinna Jeeyar, an Indian ascetic, who laid the foundation in 2014. The total cost of the statue of Ramanujacharya is 100 crore.

The statue is built by Aerosun Corporation, China. It was shipped to India after completion. The statue of equality is made of Panchaloha- A mixture of Gold, silver, copper, brass, and titanium. The statue was built by a team of 60 professionals. The chief sculptor of the project is DNV Prasad Sthapati.

The statue is built on a huge lotus that will be built on a three-storied structure called Bhadravedi. 

This lotus has a diameter of 27 feet.  These dimensions are significant as they represent the twenty-four tattvas (elements), the 25th representing soul, 26th representing  God, and the 27th signifying Guru.

The statue is constructed on a base building that has a meditation hall. The base building is 16.5 meters tall. The meditation hall under the statue will have a 120 kg gold statue of Ramanuja. The ground floor of the base building is around 6000 square meters, it will have an electric vehicle that will show the life and philosophy of Shri Ramanuja.

The temple of Shri Ramanuja, established on the second floor that has a dimension of 27,870 square meters, is built to worship. The third floor includes a Vedic digital library and a research center. There will be a parking lot that can accommodate 1500 vehicles at once.

The building will also have a Museum of Equality, where the Statues of Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Dr, Bheemrao Ambedkar and many other advocates of world equality and peace. This place will have an inbuilt library that will provide information about Human Equality.

Conclusion

The statute of equality delivers the message of world equality that would be free of Caste, Religion, color, and race. The world will become a better place with the practical beliefs of Ramanujacharya. The religious trust of Sri Chinna Jeeyar asked the countries to support this project and started “Equality Campus”. 

In this project, Jeeyar requested countries to hoist their flag on the premises of the Statue of Equality. With the inauguration of the statue of equality, India will become a global messenger of peace and equality. This is not about safeguarding humanity only but securing the natural resources that are under stress due to extreme human exploitation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Where is the Statue of Equality located?
Ans. The statue of Equality is located in Hyderabad, India. It is dedicated to an Indian saint Shri Ramanujacharya, who advocated the importance of equality and helped the subjugated class of society.

Q2. Who will inaugurate the Statue of Equality?
Ans. The Statue of Equality is to be inaugurated by the Prime minister of India, Shri  Narendra Modi.

Q3. Who was Ramanujacharya?
Ans. Ramanujacharya was an Indian Philosopher, Reformer, pioneer of Vaishnavism. He was a great visionary who helped people who were ostracized by society.

Q5. What is the name of the second-highest statue built-in sitting pose?
Ans. Statue of Equality is the second highest statue dedicated to an Indian ascetic, Shri Ramanujacharya. The height of this statue is 216 feet. It is the second-highest statue in the world after the sitting Buddha statue in Thailand.