The grand statue of Vaishnava Saint Ramanujacharya in Telangana, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled on February 05, 2022, has several unique features. It has been named the Statue of Equality, befitting what the saint had preached and practised -- every human being is equal regardless of nationality, gender, race, caste and creed. Erected in a scenic setting, the statue commemorates the 1,000th birth anniversary of the saint.
A TRIBUTE PAR EXCELLENCE
(By Subbaram Danda)
The 216-foot statue in the sitting posture is the second tallest in the world. It has been installed on a base-like edifice of 54 feet height called ‘Bhadra Vedi’ held aloft by a ring of beautifully sculpted elephants. The globe’s tallest statue is of Buddha in Thailand, whose total height is 302 feet.
The Ramanujacharya statue is a ‘panchaloha’ one, made of five metals – gold, silver, copper, brass and zinc. According to ancient ‘Shilpa sastra’ the alloy of these metals has a sacred significance.
The building underneath is aesthetically and elegantly designed. In a spacious and ornate sanctum at the centre a golden idol of the saint weighing 120 kg has been installed. Here the figure 120 is significant, because the saint is believed to have lived for 120 years. It is for this idol that there will be regular worship.
Another outstanding feature is recreation of 108
Vaishnavite shrines known as ‘Divya Desams’ around the main building in the complex. Replicas of all these sacred
centres of Vishnu worship including Tirumala, Srirangam
and Badrinath can be seen there.
Artistic pillars, spacious hallways, decorative ceilings, wide steps and traditional towers mark the architecture of the complex. Its grandeur is enhanced by water fountains, beautiful gardens and neat lawns.
Also housed are a digital vedic library, a research
centre with ancient Indian texts, a theatre and a gallery to portray the life
and works of the saint. The 1,000th year commemoration project has an outlay of Rs.1,000 crores, financed by donations from devotees all over the world.
The moving force behind all this magnificent activity is Tridandi Chinna Jeeyar. The entire project, regarded as a glorious tribute to the saint on his 1,000th birth anniversary, was conceived and executed by him. It is in his ashram area at Muchintal on the outskirts of Hyderabad that the complex has come up spread over 40-acres. The whole premises has been aptly named Sriramanagaram.
Prime Minister Modi, clad in yellow silk robes and sporting a 'namam' on his forehead, dedicated the “Statue of Equality” and the complex to the people of the world. Though Ramanujacharya was born in South India, Modi observed, his teachings had influenced the people all over India and abroad too.
President of India Ramnath Kovind unveiled the golden idol of the saint on February 13. Ramanujacharya's teachings, he noted, are relevent even today. All aspects of his philosophy of equality have found a place in the Constitution of India.
On February 14, Chinna Jeeyar conducted sacred rites for the consecration (prana pratishta) of the golden idol of Ramanujacharya and brought to fruition the related two-week long rituals, which included kalasa pujas, homams and vedic recitals.
Finally on February 19 a glittering 'Kalyana Mahotsavam' for the murtis of the 108 Divya Desams was held. A large number of devotees witnessed the sacred event.
The picture gallery below unfolds the splendour of the complex and the ceremonies.
Posted on February 07, 2022
Updated on February 19, 2022
