Politics of Statues goes on but...

When I visited the Statue of Equality in Hyderabad, which honors Ramanuja, an influential 11th-century Vaishnavite saint and philosopher, known for his teachings on Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism),I was thoroughly impressed. Let me provide a brief description. 

Officially, there are two statues, but in reality, there are three. The first statue, located on the lowest floor, is a modest-sized figure made of ‘panch-loha’, an alloy of five metals. It is placed in a large hall, where there is also a lift at the corner for older citizens who cannot climb stairs, which is where I first entered. 

The second statue, a larger one, is made of 120 kilograms of gold and is housed in a grand hall on the upper floor. The third statue is a massive 216-foot-tall figure made of 700 tons of ‘panch-loha’, flawlessly executed. It stands in an open-to-sky gallery at the top of 108 steps. The estimated cost of this project was Rs. 1,000 crore, primarily funded through contributions from devotees.

The entire complex spans 50 acres of land, donated by JupallyRameswar Rao, the owner of one of Hyderabad’s largest real estate companies. Within the compound, a beautifully landscaped garden surrounds a series of mandapas or pavilions. Each pavilion houses a replica idol of Vishnu, as depicted in the 108 temples known as ‘Divya desams’, each placed in a small shrine. For the uninitiated, it may be told that Divyadesam Temples are the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the works of the 12 Alwars, the Vaishnavite saints of Tamil region. Most of them are in Tamil Nadu and others in spread over South India and one or two like Badrinath in the Himalayas.

These idols represent the deities of temples visited by the twelve Vaishnavite saints, called Aazhvaars, who composed hymns of praise in Tamil from the 5th to the 10th century A.D. These hymns were collected and compiled into an anthology of 4,000 hymns in the 10th century A.D., and they continue to be recited in Vishnu temples across Tamil Nadu, known as the Tamil Veda. At the Statue of Equality, visitors follow a circuitous route through these ‘Divyadesams’ before entering the sanctum hall that houses the golden statue of Ramanuja. The entire tour around these shrines takes about an hour.

Statues are powerful political statements. Statues of leaders—whether historical or contemporary—are built to convey their message to future generations. These leaders can be religious figures, military commanders, or social reformers. In India, we are quick to erect statues of our revered leaders. Living in Hyderabad, I encounter statues on nearly every street corner. From Gandhi to Ambedkar, Indira Gandhi, Rajasekhar Reddy, N.T. Ramarao, and even local MLAs, statues of leaders are a common sight in the street corners and intersections of every city. 

Sometimes, it feels like it rains statues!During the DMK regime in the 1970s, the Tamil Nadu government installed statues of 10 prominent personalities who contributed to the Tamil language and society, all at once. (Today, there are around 40 statues along the beach road in Chennai, erected at different periods). This spree of statue installations was intended to emphasize the greatness of Tamil Nadu and its rich heritage, especially in the context of the agitation against the imposition of the Hindi language in the education system. Inspired by Tamil Nadu, the N.T. Ramarao government in Andhra Pradesh, installed a series of statues of Telugu heroes to emphasize Telugu pride, also in a single go. There are now around 35 statues along the Tank Bund of Hussain Sagar Lake in Hyderabad.

None of this is surprising. What is surprising today is the size of these statues. These are the days of mega statues—no, not just mega; it’s more appropriate to call them gigantic. As India becomes more visible and marketable in a globalizing world—with a population of over a billion people, creating both a massive consumer market and a vast labourforce—our statues have grown larger and larger. There seems to be almost a competition to create the most monumental statues.

The only embarrassing aspect is that these mega statues are often not made in India but in China. This is in a country that has long prided itself of its massive temples, forts, and buildings, with intricate carvings and exquisite metal idols crafted over centuries. Nowadays, even the small souvenir replicas of our gods and goddesses sold in pilgrimage towns like Tirupati are now made in China! However, those who commission these statues seem unfazed. In a globalized world, why not buy from China if it’s cheaper - they might argue. The Ramanuja statue, for instance, was shipped from China in 1,600 individual pieces across 54 shipments, with about 60 Chinese workers assembling it on site.

The story of the Ramanuja statue begins with Chinna Jeeyar Swami, who conceived the idea of commemorating the 1,000th birth anniversary of Ramanuja, born in 1017 A.D., with a grand statue. To give a brief introduction of the ascetic, Chinna Jeeyar Swami, is a religious guru and an ascetic, known for his spiritual discourses, and the propagation ofRamanuja’s   Vishishtadvaita. He operates spiritual centers in India and the USA.

The project was planned by Chinna Jeeyar Swami along with DNV Prasad Sthapathi, the chief temple architect. Out of the two contractors who applied to execute the work, the Chinese company Aerosun was selected. Work began in 2014 and was completed in 2022. Chinna Jeeyar could not have brought this project to fruition without government support. The then Chief Minister of Telangana, K. Chandra Shekar Rao (KCR) was enthusiastic about the project and provided the necessary governmental backing. The statue was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on 5th February 2022. However, KCR, who had his differences with the Prime Minister, did not attend the inauguration ceremony, citing ill health, and his name was omitted from the plaque. His son, K. Taraka Rama Rao (KTR), later claimed that the Prime Minister’s Office had instructed that KCR should not attend the ceremony. Subsequently, KCR inaugurated the fountain at the site, and a new plaque was placed to reflect this.

I used to wonder why KCR was so enthusiastic about a huge statue in honor of Ramanuja in Hyderabad. In Gujarat, on 31 October 2018, the Statue of Unity of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, 597 feet tall, was dedicated to the nation and declared to the world as the tallest statue in the world. Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government which commissioned the statue called it the Statue of Unity, critiques say, its policy was that of divide and rule. It looked the other way (and sometimes even feted and garlanded the criminals) when incidents of attacks on people belonging to minority community happened, their places of worship were vandalized in some parts of the country, and there were several incidents of Dalit persecution. Perhaps because of its aggressive approach, BJP was becoming a force in Telangana as well. KCR might have felt he had to counter the BJP. He did two things: commissioned a mega bronze statue of Ambedkar near the new dazzling Secretariat building in Hyderabad in 2016 (inaugurated in 2023) at the cost of Rs. 147 crore and supported the statue of Ramanuja as the Statue of Equality. 

Not to be left behind, the former Chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Jagan Mohan Reddy, commissioned the tallest statue (125 feet) of Ambedkar in 2020, costing Rs. 268 crores, at Vijayawada and inaugurated it in January 2024. It is called Statue of Social Justice. However, in the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, both KCR and Jagan Mohan Reddy could not make any gains. 

Be that as it may, the real hero of the Statue of Equality is the saint Sri Ramanuja himself. Ramanujawas born in Sri Perumbudur, near Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu in a Brahmin family of Vaishnavites. He lived for 120 years from 1077 to 1197A.D., a period when the Chola kings were at the peak of their power. He was a disciple of the Vaishnavite scholars/guruswho preceded him, one of whom was a non-Brahmin. His gurus had already collected and collated the Tamil hymns of Aazhvaars into an anthology of 4000 poems.

Ramanujacontinued the work, wrote an interpretation of Brahma Sutras of Vyasa in which he took the position of Visishtadvaita (Qualified Monism), as opposed to Advaita(Monism) of Adi Sankara. He propagated worship of a personal God (Vishnu and his incarnations-avatars)who has not only created the universe, including human beings, but also resides in all beings and things. He proposeddevotion (bhakti), and surrender (saranagati)to the chosen God as the way to liberation.

Ramanuja went to Thirukkoshtiyur, to get diksha (initiation) from Nambi, an erudite scholar. When he received initiation in the sacred mantra of Vishnu, he was told by the guru not to reveal it to anyone, to keep it as a secret; if he did not, he would go to hell for betraying the guru. It is said that on the same day Ramanuja climbedthe temple tower and loudly proclaimed the sacred mantra in a manner of initiating all the devotees of castes and communities who had gathered there. He is said to have spoken that he did not mind going to hell, now that so many people have benefited from the sacred mantra, reciting which all of them would receive God’s grace. 

Ramanuja treated non-brahmins as equals. He also had women as his disciples. He got involved in the administration of temples and mutts andhe not only propagated allowing people of untouchable castes into the temples, he personally took a group of untouchables into the temple at Melkottai in Mysore state. He faced resistance to his reforms from the conservatives and could not carry out the temple entry reform in other temples. 

In short,Ramanuja saw God in every personand therefore he saw people of all castes and communities as equals. Usually, the statue of Ramanuja is to be found and worshipped insidethe Vishnu temples. Putting it up in an open space for all to come and see is,perhaps, an appropriate symbol in contemporary India anchored in a constitution professing equality, liberty and justice. It is aright reminder of the idea of India for generations to come. 

Before I conclude, let me share my personal view on mega statues. In my opinion, they tend to distort the body and features of the person being honored. I would rather prefer smaller statues, perhaps just a bit larger than life-size. Imagine one of your photos magnified a hundred times and displayed in your drawing room. Would you find it attractive? I suspect most children would find it rather unsettling. Of course, this is just my perspective, and you may have a different opinion.

(डिस्क्लेमर : इस लेख में व्यक्त विचार लेखक के स्वयं के हैं। रागदिल्ली.कॉम के संपादकीय मंडल का इन विचारों से कोई लेना-देना नहीं है।)