The massive 'Statue of Equality' of Sriramanujacharya that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “dedicated to the world” on Saturday was made in China and cost about Rs 135 crore.
Though one Indian company was also in the race to win the contract, China's Aerosun corporation was given the order in August 2015.
Casting works were carried out in China and the statue was brought here in 1,600 pieces. The installation took place in 2017-18, taking about 15 months.
The 216-feet-tall statue is said to be the second tallest in a sitting position in the world. It is made of panchaloha (an alloy comprising five metals) – copper, silver, gold, zinc, and titanium – of which copper comprises 80 per cent.
Saint Sriramanujacharya is credited for initiating social reforms and reviving Hinduism a thousand years back and inspiring Bhakti movements in the country.
The Samata-kendram, with the Sriramanujacharya statue surrounded by 108 replicas of 108 sacred Hindu shrines in the country, is spread over 45 acres near the Hyderabad International Airport. While the land was donated by My Home Group's Jupally Rameswar Rao, the cost of the project – “about Rs 1,000 crore” – was met with donations.
The contract with the Chinese firm was signed by Jupally, chairman of My Home Group of Industries, on behalf of Sri Ramanuja Sahasrabdi organisers.
The statue was built to commemorate Sri Ramanujacharya's 1000th birth anniversary (born in 1017 at Sriperumbudur in present-day Tamil Nadu) with the hope that it would last for 1,000 more years and also spread the message of equality in society.
According to Tridandi Chinna Jeeyar Swamy, a popular ascetic who conceived the project, the original plan about 10 years back was to have a rock-cut figure on a hill someplace in Tamil Nadu.
But such a suitable rocky hill could not be found despite a search conducted over a period of two years. Chinna Jeeyar consented to the present statue after Jupally came forward to donate the land at Muchintal for the project.
14 models of Sriramanujacharya statue were made initially incorporating Agama and Shilpa shastra sutras, out of which three models were examined with 3D scanning and improved further. The final model was then sent to China.
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