Re:Thirunarayanapuram

[Guest guest]

Is this uthsavar called "chellapiLLai". i have a heard an anecdote which

goes like this: raamaanusar goes to north india in search this uthsavar

and talks to that muslim king. he tells that he has a lot of vigrahams

which his daughter plays with. then raamaanusar calls "vaaray

chellappiLLaay" and i am not sure what exactly happened after that.

something like that particular vigraham came forward.....

could anyone recall this..

Thus wrote Viji

 

Yes, I recall that story. Ramanuja approached the Sultan for the Vigraham of

Cheluvanarayana(Kannada version of chelvapillai Sampatkumara). The Sultan

was impressed by the charisma and Tejas of Ramanuja and thus agreed to let him

have the vigraha saying "call your god if he comes take him." Ramanuja looked

in the prison where the sultan had imprisoned various idols stolen from

different temples. Ramanuja could not find the idol he was looking for there.

However, he did find the vigraham in sultan's daughter's room. She was not

there at that time. He addressed the vigraham as Viji has said above. The

Vigraham walked upto Ramanuja. Sultan kept his promise and Ramanuja carried

back the Vigraham. He also realized that Sultan loved his daughter and she

loved this idol very much. He anticipated that sultan's soldiers will follow

him to take the vigraham back. Thus, Ramanuja did not stop anywhere and on his

way, he was helped by numerous tribal people (untouchables) in transporting

this idol. Ramanuja had guessed it right. Sultan's daughter and a batallion of

soldiers along with another muslim prince who loved sultans daughter Lachimar

very much set on forth to rescue the idol. Ramanuja made it back to his

destination Tirunarayanapuram before the soldiers could find him. The soldiers

gave up. Lachimar loved this idol so much that she did not give up. She was a

prapanne in her own way. The prince who loved her (a prapanna in his own

right) also did not give up. They both made it to Thirunarayanapuram and

stayed there. In due course, she died and the Srivaishnavas were so deeply

impressed by her love to that vigraham, they made a small statue of her and

placed it at the foot of the idol. This statue is called Bibi Nachhiar. She

was also duplicated in numerous other temples, which we commonly see (I have

heard) in many a temples of South India. The prince who followed her, after

her death, turned deeply towards God and took refuge at the feet of Sri

Ranganatha in Srirangam. He was not permitted to enter the Srirangam temple,

he stayed outside and took refuge at the blessed feet of Seshasayi with

undivided devotion. Once, while absorbed in deep meditation, he heard a voice

saying, "o' the best among the Yavanas! I am here to grant liberation to

Vaishnavas who take refuge in me:and Lord Jaganatha is there to grant

liberation unto fallen ones" Having heard that, the prince moved to

Puri-Jaganatha kshetra. The name of this prince is Kubera. It is said that

when he was in Puri, a dog came and made away with the bread he was baking.

He shouted to the dog, Oh Narayana! wait a little, let me smear ghee on the

bread so that you may relish it better.

 

To recognize the role of Chandalas in helping Ramanuja to carry idol from

North India, even during those rigid days, Chandalas were allowed into the

Temple at Thirunarayana Puram, three days in a year.

 

I had heard this story numerous times, in parts. This version I found in the

Book on life of Ramanuja by Swami Ramakrishnananda which I praised in one of

my earlier postings.

-K. Sreekrishna.