The State government has made elaborate arrangements for the unveiling of statue of Vaishnavite saint Ramanujacharya, called, the Statue of Equality, on the sprawling ashram of Tridandi Chinna Jeer Swamy at Muchintal on the city outskirts in March.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has in principle agreed to unveil the 216 ft statue, said to be the second tallest in seated position depicting Ramanujacharya, to commemorate his sahasrabdi (1,000 years since his birth). The first phase of ₹1,000 crore project comprises the statue, parikrama and temple.
Ramanujacharya fought against discrimination in the name of caste, colour and creed, and propounded that the Almighty existed in all living beings. That was why it was decided to name this structure as the Statue of Equality.
President Ramnath Kovind, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and several Union Ministers are expected to visit the venue next month. Ministers E. Dayakar Rao and V. Srinivas Goud were confident that the venue would become a major destination on world tourism map.
Accompanied by Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamy, they inspected the progress of works on laying roads to the venue on Sunday. The works, taken up in coordination with the State government, are progressing at a brisk place and the inauguration ceremony would be held in a befitting manner, they said.
Several dignitaries from across the globe are expected to grace the inaugural function and arrangements are being made accordingly. The government had decided to lay internal roads as well as improve other amenities in the Chinna Jeeyar ashram located on the premises to enhance the reputation of the State which is turning out to be a spiritual hub.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is personally monitoring the works like revival of Yadadri temple and development of state of the art infrastructure for the benefit of visiting pilgrims. The Chinna Jeeyar Trust is contributing in equal measure by making arrangements to ensure that the venue reflects Telugu culture.
The Ministers made several suggestions relating to the arrangements that should be made for the inaugural and directed them to ensure speedy completion of works without compromising on quality.
