More Srirangam news

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keshava

Mani Varadarajan <yali!shasta.Stanford.EDU!mani

Thu, 10 Oct 1996 18:09:55 IST+530

Re: Hello from Sri Rangam

 

Dear Mani, thank you for fowarding my message to the group. I have

already received mail from some members. I will be meeting with some

of their relatives here and sending them mail from them.

 

Could you let the members know that I am a good friend of the Sri

Rangam archakas. Especially Sri Sundara Bhattar who is kindly letting

me use his telephone to connect my modem to. Next week there is going

to be a one day Sudarsana Homa in the thousand pillared Mandapa. And

of course Navaratri begins here on the 13th. Sundara Bhattar is the

chief priest for Navaratri, then the Brahmotsava and Tepotsava this

year. He is well know for his service at Chakratalvar Sannidhi here.

He often arranges for special pujas to be coducted on behalf of

visiting devotees. He is performing pujas and tirumanjanam to Lord

Ranganatha reguarly as well as Ranganayaki, Chakratalvar, Simha

Perumal Koil, and the Woriyur Temple. I have just got through sending

Sudarsana mantras to one devotee in New York via e-mail for him. He

also regularly sends prasadams, yantras, etc, etc. to interested

devotees abroad. If anyone on the list wants to avail themselves of a

chance to worship at any divine functions here please let us know and

we will arrange and send prasadams.

 

The other day my wife and I visited the Dasavatara sannidhi of

Sri Ahobhila Matha. We had heard so much about it from messages on

your list. The archaka was a very nice man, Laksmi Narasimha (Kannan)

who lives in Uttara St. near to the Ahobhila Matha. He speaks very

good English as he is (Vice?)-Principal of Sri Rangam High School.

The public feeding is going on. They are giving one measure of curd

rice to anyone who comes, morning and evening.

 

The monsoon just hit here this afternoon, 10th Oct, and east

uttara st was completely flooded. Lord Ranganatha (mula bera) is

undergoing oil bath for one mandala (48 days) which should be over

soon, within the next few days. Lord Ranganatha (utsava) will go on

procession on Vijay Dasami to the Singa Perumal Koil to the east of

the Temple. This is a hunting festival where the Lord going on His

golden horse vahana goes to the Singa Koil. This is one of our

favorite festivals as the Lord while coming out the east gate of the

temple stops at a mandapa in between uttara and chitra streets. There

He stays for some hours while pujas and naivedyams are offered to

Him. The locals come from both streets to get darshana and tirtha,

settari, etc. This mandapa is just across (30 feet) from our front

door. When the Lord reaches the Singa Koil He (an archaka does it for

Him) shoots several arrows from His bow. One of the arrows hits a tree

which is supposed to be a demon in disguise. Thus the demon gets

liberated by the Lord.