GS Paper 1:
Topics Covered: Art and Culture.
Context:
PM Narendra Nodi is all set to unveil the world’s second-largest statue (Statue of Equality) in Hyderabad on February 5.
- The 216-foot-tall statue of 11nth-century social reformer and saint, Ramanujacharya will be in a sitting position.
What is the Statue of Equality?
The world’s second tallest statue in a sitting position is made up of ‘panchaloha’, meaning a combination of five metals i.e. gold, copper, silver, brass and zinc.
- The inner sanctorum deity of Sri Ramanujacharya is built of 120 kilos of gold. This commemorates the 120 years the saint spent on earth.
About Sri Ramanujacharya:
- Born in 1017 CE in Tamil Nadu.
- He is the most respected Acharya in the philosophy of Sri Vaishnavism.
- He was also referred to as Ilaya Perumal which means the radiant one.
- His philosophical foundations for devotionalism were influential to the Bhakti movement.
- He is famous as the chief proponent of Vishishtadvaita subschool of Vedānta.
- He wrote influential texts, such as bhāsya on the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita, all in Sanskrit.
What is Vishishtadvaita?
- It is a non-dualistic school of Vedanta philosophy. It is non-dualism of the qualified whole, in which Brahman alone exists, but is characterized by multiplicity.
- It can be described as qualified monism or qualified non-dualism or attributive monism.
- It is a school of Vedanta philosophy which believes in all diversity subsuming to an underlying unity.
InstaLinks:
Prelims Link:
- About Sri Ramanujacharya.
- About Advaita Philosophy.
- About Bhakti movement.
Mains Link:
Differentiate between Dvaita and Advaita schools of philosophy.
Sources: PIB.
