New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Hyderabad on February 5 to inaugurate the ‘Statue of Equality’ — to commemorate the 11th-century Bhakti Saint Sri Ramanujacharya.
The function will coincide with the Hindu festival of Basant Panchami which marks the preparation for the arrival of spring.
Mounted on a 54-ft high base building, named ‘Bhadra Vedi’, the statue is made of ‘panchaloha’, a combination of five metals: gold, silver, copper, brass, and zync and is among one of the tallest metallic statues (at 216 ft) in sitting position, in the world.
The building has floors devoted to a Vedic digital library and research centre, ancient Indian texts, a theatre, an educational gallery detailing many works of Sri Ramanujacharya, who promoted the idea of equality in all aspects of living including faith, caste and creed.
The statue has been conceptualized by Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swami of Sri Ramanujacharya Ashram.
According to a statement issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), before inaugurating the statue, the Prime Minister will visit the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) campus in Patancheru and kickstart its 50th-anniversary celebrations.