Statue of Equality Ramanuja in Hyderabad: Significance, Design, and Architecture

The Ramanuja monument, also known as the Statue of Equality, is a memorial to the 11th-century Vaishnavite Ramanuja that can be found on the grounds of the ChinnaJeeyar Trust in Hyderabad. Surprisingly, it is the world's second-highest sitting statue. The trust came up with the statue idea to commemorate Ramanuja's 1000th birthday. Furthermore, the installation, estimated to cost 1,000 crores, was primarily funded by devotee contributions.

Know about Ramanujacharya :

• Ramanujacharya is a Vedic scholar and social reformer born in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, in 1017.

• The name Lakshmana was given to him when he was born. He was also known as Ilaya Perumal, "the radiant one."

• He travelled throughout India, striving for social justice and equality.

• His sermons impacted other Bhakti intellectuals and revitalised the Bhakti movement.

• He is best known as the founder of the Vedanta subschool of Vishishtadvaita.

About its Design and Architecture :

• In 2014, ascetic ChinnaJeeyar proposed creating a monument to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of Ramanuja's ideals.

• Ramanuja's life and beliefs will be displayed on the lowest floor, which will be 6,000 square metres.

• The temple, which will be utilised for daily worship, will be located on the second floor, measuring 27,870 square metres.

• The third storey, totalling 1,365 square metres, will house a Vedic digital repository and research centre.

• As a result, ChinnaJeeyar laid the foundation stone for the statue. The monument was planned to be built by November 2017, but that timeframe was pushed back to February 2019.