Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the 216-foot tall 'Statue of Equality' in Telangana.
While inaugurating the statue of 11th-century Hindu saint Ramanujacharya, Modi said: "This statue of Ramanujacharya ji is a symbol of his knowledge, detachment, and ideals”.
"Today Ramanujacharya ji is giving us the message of equality in the form of a huge Statue of Equality," said Modi .
The Statue of Equality is a gigantic statue of 11th century Vaishnavaite saint Bhagavad Ramanujacharya.
The statue reportedly is made of 'panchaloha'—which is a combination of: gold, silver, copper, brass, and zinc.
It is said to be among the tallest metallic statues in sitting position in the world.
As part of the event, Modi also visited the recreations of ornately carved temples that surround the ‘Statue of Equality’.
The inauguration of the Statue of Equality is part of the 12-day Sri Ramanuja Sahasrabdi Samaroham, the ongoing 1000th birth anniversary celebrations of Sri Ramanujacharya, an official statement said.
During his Hyderabad visit, Modi also launched the 50th Anniversary celebrations of International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).
Earlier, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao was conspicuously absent during the reception of Modi at the airport.
Rao’s absence from the reception had triggered a political row.
Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Union Minister for Tourism G Kishan Reddy and Telangana Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav were among the VIPs received Modi at the airport.
Sources at Pragati Bhavan, Rao’s official residence told PTI that the Chief Minister was not well as he “is suffering from fever”.
