HYDERABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil the ‘Statue of Equality’ of Bhagavad Ramanuja in Muchintal village on the city outskirts on February 5, said Tridandi Chinna Jeeyar Swamy.
Addressing a press conference at his ashram in Muchintal on Monday, the spiritual leader said the statue of Ramanujucharya, who founded the Vishishtadvaita philosophy, would be unveiled in a grand ceremony to be held from February 2 to 12.
The seer stated that he met Modi on September 18 in Delhi and invited him to unveil the statue.
"The Prime Minister assured me that he would attend the event without fail. We are making all arrangements for Modi's visit on February 5," Jeeyar Swamy said.
He added that he had extended invitations to President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union ministers Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari and several others by meeting them personally during his recent Delhi visit and all of them assured to grace the event.
The 65.8-metre (216-feet) statue being constructed is coming up on 40 acres inside the 200 acre-ashram with an estimated cost of Rs 216 crore.
The statue made of panchaloha (an alloy of gold, silver, copper, brass and tin/lead) is the second tallest statue in a seated position, the first being a 302-feet statue of Lord Buddha in Bangkok.
The project was taken up as part of the Sahasrabdi (1,000th anniversary) celebrations of Ramanucharya, who was born in 1017 and spent a major part of his lifespan propagating the Hindu philosophy of Vishishtadwaita (qualified non-dualism).
Stating that Ramanuja fought against discrimination in the name of caste, colour, creed, and propounded that God existed in all living beings, the seer said the statue was named as the Statue of Equality.
