Why in News:

• Statue of 11th century reformer and Vaishnavite saint Ramanujacharyulu will be unveiled soon
• The ‘Statue of Equality’, as it is called, is being installed to mark the 1,000th birth anniversary of Ramanujacharyulu. 
• It is built of Panchaloha, a combination of gold, silver, copper, brass and zinc. 
• It is the second largest in the world in sitting position of the saint.

About him

• • He was born in Tamil Nadu in 1017 CE.
  • He was also known as Ilaya Perumal, which means “the shining one.”
  • His philosophical underpinnings for devotionalism influenced the Bhakti movement.

• He fought relentlessly against casteism and societal hierarchies

• He is known for his Sri Vaishnavism ideology and is the main proponent  of the Vishishtadvaita subschool of Vedanta.
  • Vishishtadvaita is one of the main branches of Vedanta
  • According to Vishishtadvaita philosophy, Brahman is eternal, but also includes elements of plurality. The soul, or the Self, and the material world both exist only through Brahman. Unlike some Hindu philosophies, Vishishtadvaita doesn’t see the world as simply an illusion, which would make it separate from Brahman. The material world is a part of Brahman’s nature.
  • Moksha, or spiritual liberation, is seen as the joy of contemplating Brahman (rather than release from the life-death-rebirth cycle), and that joy is the result of devotion, praise, worship and contemplating divine perfection.
• In Sanskrit, he composed famous books such as bhashya on the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita. He also  published nine works known as the Navratnas, which included three important commentaries on the Vedartha-Sangraha, the Sribhasya, and the Bhagavadgita-bhasya, all of which attempted to provide a philosophical framework for devotional worship.

References:

1. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Vishishtadvaita
2. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/finishing-touches-given-to-statue-of-equality/article38316907.ece