Hyderabad: One of the great saints Vaishnavite Saint Bhagavad Ramanuja has completed the millennium year i.e. 1000 years. A 216-foot-tall statue has been installed near Shriram Nagar Jeeva Ashram in Hyderabad in his memory. It has been named the Statue of Equality. It is made from a mixture of Ashtadhatu(8 alloys)
A grand temple of Ramanujacharya is being built in Hyderabad, the total cost is expected to be 1000 crores. A second statue of Ramanujacharya is made of 120 kg gold, which will be kept in the sanctorum of the temple. The largest statue of Ramanujacharya is made in China, which costs around 400 crores. It has been included in the Guinness Book of World Records.
A thousand year ago, Ramanujacharya was the first saint to bring reforms in Indian society. The society was rigid with its caste system and untouchability. He was the first saint to allow backward class people in temples. He is the first saint from Sanatan tradition of whom a temple is being made and such a huge statue has been installed.
The characteristics of the temple are as following-
The Statue of Equality and Ramanujacharya Temple were being built on 45 acres of land. The construction of the temple started in 2014.
The original building of the temple is being built in an area of about 1.5 lakh square feet, which is 58 feet high. On this the Statue of Equality has been kept.
Musical fountains worth Rs. 25 crores will be installed. The story of Swami Ramanujacharya will be narrated through it.
Worshipers will be able to receive audio guides in 5 different languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and English.
Temple will consist of videos and pictures of Ramanujacharya
A replica of the famous 108 Divya Desam of South India being built around this Statue of Equality.
The Statue of Equality is designed by Anand Sai, an architect and art director of South Indian films. He said, ‘it took 2 years to design the temple and the Statue of Equality’.
Vaishnava saint Ramanujacharya was born in 1017 in Tamil Nadu. . He was the promoter of the Vishishtadvaita Vedanta. He availed sainthood from Alwar Yamunacharya in Kanchi. He propagated Vedanta and Vaishnavism by roaming all over India. Ramanujacharya carved his ideology on the basis of philosophy of devotional alwar saints of the seventh-tenth century.