Statue of Equality (Ramanuja)

Statue of Ramanuja in Hyderabad, India

Statue of Equality (Ramanuja statue)

Ramanuja statue

17°11′10″N 78°20′00″E﻿ / ﻿17.1860°N 78.3332°E﻿ / 17.1860; 78.3332
Location| Muchintal, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Designer| DNV Prasad Sthapathi
Type| Statue
Material| Steel Framing, Panchaloha
Height| 66 metres (216 ft)
Beginning date| 2 May 2014 (2014-05-02)[1]
Inauguration date| 5 February 2022; 2 years ago (2022-02-05)
Dedicated to| Ramanuja
Website| www.statueofequality.org

The Statue of Equality is a statue of the 11th-century Indian philosopher Ramanuja, located on the premises of the Chinna Jeeyar Trust at Muchintal, Ranga Reddy district in the outskirts of Hyderabad.[2] It is the second tallest sitting statue in the world. The project of building the statue was conceptualised by the trust to commemorate the 1,000th birth anniversary of Ramanuja. Costing an estimated ₹1,000 crore (US$120 million), the project was paid for through monetary donations by devotees in a major part.

## Design and construction

[edit]

### Design

[edit]

In 2014, ascetic Chinna Jeeyar came up with the idea to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of Ramanuja's teachings by building a statue.[3][better source needed] Later DNV Prasad Sthapathi appointed as Chief Architect for the project and completed all initial drawings under the Chinna Jeeyer Guidance. The ground floor will be 6,000 square metres and will depict Ramanuja's life and philosophy. The temple, meant for daily worship, will be located on the 27,870 square metre second floor. The 1,365 square metre third floor will include a Vedic digital library and research centre.[4][additional citation(s) needed] An Omnimax theatre in the shape of a planetarium featuring life stories of Ramanuja was planned.[5] 14 models were designed according to Agama Shashtra and Shilpa Shastras. 3 models were shortlisted, and improvements were made using 3D scanning technology.[6]

It was named 'Statue of Equality' by the trust.

### Funding

[edit]

The statue was built at an estimated cost of ₹1,000 crore (US$120 million), which is majorly collected from donations by the devotees.[7]

### Construction

[edit]

The foundation stone for the statue was laid by Chinna Jeeyar.[citation needed] The statue was expected to be ready by November 2017 and later revised to February 2019.[5][8][9] Aerosun Corporation, a Nanjing-based company, was contracted in August 2015 for the construction of the statue.[6][9] The final design model was 3D scanned and sent to Aerosun Corporation to be built. 700 tonnes of panchaloha, a five-metal alloy of gold, silver, copper, brass and zinc[clarification needed] was used to build the statue.[9] It was built in China and later shipped in 1600 individual pieces to India via Chennai Port in 54 shipments. Around 60 Chinese specialists including workers, engineers and welders assembled the segments on site. The assembly progressed during 2017 and 2018 and took 15 months to complete[10][8][6] and was assembled on site in Muchintal, Hyderabad. Aerosun Corporation provided a guarantee of 20 years for the golden hue of the statue.[7]

The base building under the statue named Bhadravedi is 16 metres (54 ft) tall and three-stories high.[8] Atop the building lies a lotus of 8.2 metres (27 ft) in diameter,[5] and is carried by 36 elephants, over which the statue sits.[9] The diameter of the lotus represents 24 tattvas, as well as soul, god and the guru.[5] The statue has a concrete core which is surrounded by a panchaloha sheet with a thickness varying between 10 mm and 20 mm.[9] The base building has a meditation hall where a 54 inches (1.4 m) statue of Ramunuja made of 120 kg of gold, representing the years he lived, is installed.[11] 108 divyadesams (model temples), built in stone, surround the statue.[8]

The statue was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 February 2022.[12] The smaller golden statue inside the base building was inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on 13 February 2022.[13]

## Features

[edit]

The Statue of Equality is the second tallest sitting statue in the world.[11] The base building hosts a vedic digital library, research centre, ancient Indian texts, theatre and a gallery. Ramanuja's works are presented in the gallery.[14]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Statue Of Equality". Jeeyar Educational Trust UK. 16 March 2018. Archived from the original on 11 February 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
2. ^ "Hyderabad: Ramanuja statue to become world tourist attraction". The Hans India. 17 January 2022. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
3. ^ "Hyderabad: Everything about 216 ft tall Statue of Equality". Telangana Today. 5 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
4. ^ Apparasu, Srinivasa Rao (19 November 2017). "Telangana's 65.8-metre statue of Sri Ramanujacharya to be completed by March". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
5. ^ a b c d Narasimhan, T. E. (25 July 2015). "Towering over the Statue of Liberty". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
6. ^ a b c Nichenametla, Prasad (5 February 2022). "Rs 135 crore 'Statue of Equality' inaugurated by PM Modi in Hyderabad was made in China". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
7. ^ a b Nanisetti, Serish (1 July 2018). "A 216-foot-tall celebration of Ramanuja". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
8. ^ a b c d P. Pavan (7 August 2018). "Hyderabad: Statue of Equality to come up in city, hopes to show new direction in human dignity". Mumbai Mirror. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
9. ^ a b c d e Nanisetti, Serish (9 December 2016). "World's second biggest sitting statue coming up near Hyderabad". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
10. ^ Nanisetti, Serish (10 December 2016). "A towering tribute to Bhakti saint Ramanuja". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
11. ^ a b "PM, President to attend unveiling of Ramanujacharya statue". The Hindu. 30 January 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
12. ^ "PM Modi inaugurates Statue of Equality in Hyderabad: Key things you need to know". Mint. 5 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
13. ^ "Kovind unveils golden statue of Ramanujacharya". The Hindu. 13 February 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
14. ^ "PM Modi to unveil 'Statue of Equality' today in Hyderabad". Hindustan Times. 5 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website