Sri Ramanujacharya | Statue of Equality to be Unveiled by the Prime Minister

Sri Ramanujacharya was a social reformer who worked to end the social, cultural, gender, educational, and economic discrimination from the society.

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Sri Ramanujacharya- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 1: Indian History- Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil a 216-foot statue of Ramanujacharya. The Statue of Sri Ramanujacharya was described as the ‘Statue of Equality’ in Hyderabad on February 5.

About: The Statue of Equality is a 216-feet statue of the 11th-century saint and social reformer Sri Ramanujacharya.
Location: Statue of Equality is located in a 45-acre complex at Shamshabad on the outskirts of the city of Hyderabad, Telangana
Funding: Statue of Equality is a 1000 crores project funded entirely by donations from devotees globally.
Key Features:
- The inner sanctum deity of Ramanujacharya is made of 120 kg of gold to commemorate the 120 years the saint walked this earth.
- The outdoor 216-foot statue would be one of the tallest statues in a sitting posture.
- The Statue of Equality is made of ‘panchaloha’, a mix of five metals – gold, silver, copper, brass, and zinc.
- The Statue of Equality complex has identical recreations of 108 Divya Desams, the 108 ornately carved Vishnu temples mentioned in the works of the Alwars, mystic Tamil saints.

Birth: Sri Ramanujacharya, also referred to as Ilaya Perumal was born in 1017 CE at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.
- The term ‘Ilaya Perumal’ means the radiant one.
About: Sri Ramanujacharya was a social reformer who worked to end the social, cultural, gender, educational, and economic discrimination from society.
Belief: Sri Ramanujacharya liberated millions with the foundational conviction that every human is equal regardless of nationality, gender, race, caste, or creed.
Vishishtadvaita: Sri Ramanujacharya was a famous proponent of Vishishtadvaita, a sub-school of Vedānta.
Bhakti Movement: Bhakti movement was greatly influenced by Sri Ramanujacharya’s philosophical teachings of devotionalism.
Temple Entry: Sri Ramanujacharya opened the doors of temples to all people, including those subjected to extreme discrimination.
Literary Contributions: Sri Ramanujacharya,s literary contributions include bhāsya on the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita, all in Sanskrit.