Hyderabad: President Ramnath Kovind visited the Statue of Equality in Muchintal on Saturday, wherein he unveiled the gold statue of 11th-century Vaishnavaite Ramanuja. The statue, made up of 120 kgs of gold, has been set up on the first floor of Bhadra Vedi in the Sri Rama Nagaram in Hyderabad. Kovind's visit to Muchintal was a part of Ramanujacharya Sahasrabdi Millennium Celebrations that are being grandly held currently.
President Kovind unveils 'Statue of Swarna Ramanuja', hints at Muchintal becoming spirituality hub Along with the grand statue, the President also unveiled the pictograph of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao during his visit. Before paying a visit to the 216 feet tall Statue of Equality, the President also visited 108 Vaishnava temples to seek blessings. While expressing his delight on the occasion, President Kovind said that Muchintal will become a spiritual spot in future, while Sri Rama Nagaram will also emerge as a center for equality. He also highlighted that during his visit today, he got an opportunity to connect with a great chapter in the spiritual and social tradition of India, and expressed gratitude about it.
In his address, the President emphasized that saint-poets and philosophers like Sri Ramanujacharya built the concept of a nation based on cultural values, which is different from that defined in the western thought. "References to the Bhakti tradition that united India in a single-thread centuries ago can be seen in the form of the Bhakti sects inspired by Sri Ramanujacharya," he said. He further clarified that the culture is spread from Srirangam and Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. "Thus, the emotional unity of Indians is centuries old," he added.
Highlighting Ramanuja's contribution to philosophy, culture and ancient intellectualism in the country, the President said, "Sri Ramanuja’s ‘Vishishtadvaita’ is not only a singular contribution to philosophy, but he also showed the relevance of philosophy in day-to-day life. Sri Ramanujacharyaji provided an intellectual base to the rich Bhakti tradition of the South, especially the tradition of the Alvar saint poets. He opened the doors of Vaishnavism for the members of so called backward castes. He explained that Bhakti is beyond distinction of castes and laid emphasis on everyone’s right to worship God. He also introduced the concept of equality in the contemporary social system," the President said.
Referring to the reflections of Ramanuja's thoughts in Babasaheb Ambedkars's philosophy, and consequently, the Indian Constitution, the President said, "Babasaheb had also mentioned with great respect, the egalitarian ideals of Sri Ramanujacharya. Our concept of equality is, therefore, not derived from western countries. It has developed on the cultural soil of India."
The President and his wife had arrived at the Begumpet Airport at 2.30 pm, where the Governor Tamilisai and CM KCR received him. By around 3:30 pm, the President reached Muchintal via Army helicopter. Ahead of his visit, the state authorities had put strict security measures in place with around 7000 police officials deployed from Shamshabad Airport to Muchintal.
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