(D.C)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Hyderabad on Saturday (February 5) to dedicate to the nation the 216-foot-tall statue of the 11th century Vaishnava saint Sri Ramanujacharya at the Chinna Jeeyar Swamy Ashram at Muchintal on the outskirts of the city. The statue of the Vaishnava saint — called the statue of equality — is being unveiled to commemorate his 1,000th birth anniversary and celebrate his efforts to reform Hinduism. The saint was born in 1017 CE.
The Statue of Equality is made of panchaloha — an alloy of five metals namely gold, silver, copper, brass, and zinc — and is among one of the tallest metallic statues in sitting position in the world. It is mounted on a 54-foot-high base building named ‘Bhadra Vedi’, which houses a Vedic digital library and research centre, ancient Indian texts, a theatre, an educational gallery on the works of Ramanujacharya. It was conceptualised by Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamy of Sri Ramanujacharya Ashram.
The state government is making elaborate arrangements for the Prime Minister’s visit. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao visited Chinna Jeeyar Swamy’s ashram on Thursday to review arrangements. The Chief Minister also took part in the Sri Ramanuja Sahasrabdi Samaroham programme being held in the ashram from February 2 to 14.
