ATTRACTION TOWARDS SRIRANGAM - An article in "Hindu"

[Guest guest]

Dear members of the net,

 

Here is an article in the "Hindu" dated 23rd february. I have saved the

article and posting it for the pleasure of our readers.

 

Sincerely

LAkshmi Narasimhan S.

 

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Walking down the corridors of Sriranganathaswami temple at Srirangam, one

would discover apocryphal stories getting unravelled, at every point. The

Lord, endowed with human traits, and considered by the people as their own

child ``Ranga,'' resides here. This ancient island town on the banks of the

Cauvery throbs with life perennially and is a home to many peace- loving

residents who seem to be a member of one huge family.

 

``THE people of this town treat Ranganatha like their own child,'' said my

host L. P. Sampath as we sat on the ancient thinnai of his house near the

entrance of the Srirangam temple. Before us, a seemingly endless stream of

freshly bathed men, women and children walked briskly past. Some held flowers

in their hands, others baskets. But most of them were empty handed. They

were just going over to say good morning to their beloved Ranga before they

began their day.

 

The temple of Sri Ranganathaswami at Srirangam is an ancient one. But then,

almost everything in Srirangam is ancient with a continuing, traceable history

to establish antiquity. Even the house in which we sat, once belonged to

a zamindar who housed his two ranis in it. A descendant of his, who was a

famous musician, invited music luminaries like Veena Dhanam and Madurai Mani

Iyer to perform in the very hall in which we now slept. Down the road was

a matam established by the great Vaishnava philosopher Sri Ramanuja in the

12th Century. The jeer of that matam still lived there. Beside it were houses

which once belonged to Parasara Bhatta and Vyasa Bhatta, descendants of

Koorathalwar, a contemporary of Ramanuja. And their descendants still lived

in them.

 

No one really knows when the Srirangam temple came into being. The actual

shrine is supposed to have risen out of the Paarkadal (Ocean) itself as a

result of Brahma's penance. According to legend, Ikshvaku, a descendant of

Surya, the Sun God, who was appointed to take care of the daily worship,

is supposed to have kept it in his capital, Ayodhya. His descendant, Sri

Rama presented the shrine to Vibishana when he attended his coronation. When

Vibhishana, who was carrying it back on his head to Sri Lanka, rested briefly

at Srirangam, the shrine got rooted there. Sri Ranganathaswami, the legend

goes, then appeared before him and said he wished to stay on the banks of

the Cauvery. He however promised the disconsolate Vibhishana that he would

always lie facing Sri Lanka. Vibishana, it is believed comes even today to

pray at the temple.

 

The temple does have a traceable history which is quite awesome. It is mentioned

in the Silappadikaram as well as in the Nalayiradivyaprabandham which date

back to the third century. Koil Olugu, a chronicle of the temple, written

around the 11th Century attributes the construction of one of the enclosures

to Tirumangaialvar, who is supposed to have lived there during the seventh

century. Periyalvar, whose adopted daughter Andal was an ardent devotee of

Ranganathaswamy, has also described the temple in his verses. Outside the

main temple there is a small shrine supposed to have been built on the spot

where Andal became one with the Lord.

 

Of course the most famous resident of the area, whose life and work have

been well-chronicled is Ramanujacharya. He was born in Sriperumbudur around

the year 1137 and spent the early part of his life in Kanchipuram. He came

to Srirangam as a young sanyasi and was responsible for completely revamping

the administration of the temple. Religious persecution compelled him to

flee from Srirangam at the age of 80. With his band of devoted followers,

he wandered all over the South before settling finally in Melkote in Karnataka.

 

Jatavarman Sundara Pandya 1, a Chola king who reigned during the 13th Century

was responsible for enlarging the temple and for covering the Lord with

sumptuous

gold and jewellery. According to temple chronicles, he once had two boats

built on the Kaveri. In one boat he sat on the back of an elephant and in

the other he poured jewels and gold till it sank to the same water line as

the first. He donated all this treasure to the temple. This king, known as

Hemachatina Raja or the king who covered the temple with gold, is said to

have built and covered many of the main sanctuaries in gold and even built

a jewelled arch to cover the Lord.

 

Malik Kafur who caused the collapse of the Pandya dynasty in the 14th Century,

raided Srirangam and carried away most of its treasures. Ten years later,

Mohammed Bin Tughlak turned the temple of Srirangam into a fort. The priests

of the temple took the Uthsavamurthy of Ranganathaswamy and whatever vessels

and jewels they could save and fled. The idol of Thayar was buried in the

Temple courtyard itself.

 

For over 50 years, the Uthsavamurthy, lived in exile. The temple functionaries

managed to keep the Mulavars (main idols) safe by building a wall over them.

The Uthsavamurthy is said to have travelled all over India and was finally

kept at Tirupati, apparently hidden in a ravine. When peace returned, since

the old idol could not be found, a new one was installed. The wall protecting

the Moolavar was removed.

 

However, a couple of years later, suddenly the old idol resurfaced and there

was a controversy as to which was the original one. A blind washerman, it

is said, identified the true idol by the fragrance of kasturi which lingered

on its vestments.

 

In Srirangam, myths, legends and history are inextricably blended into

apocryphal

stories which the residents tell you as you walk down the corridors of the

enormous temple. At one spot, for instance, there are five strange holes

drilled into the solid stone floor, in front of a pair of elegantly carved

feet.

 

Once, the story goes, Ranganatha decided to dress himself as Thayar and appear

before his devotees because he wanted to understand why people only appealed

to him through his wife. As he came down the corridor, dressed like a woman,

Thaayar is said to have stood in that corner of the passage hidden by the

wall. As he neared, she inserted her fingers into those holes for grip and

bent to peer around the wall to watch him coming.

 

The Lord of Srirangam has been endowed with some very human traits, which

make it easier for the devotees to identify with him. During the Panguni

Uthiram festival, for example a unique quarrel is enacted every year between

him and Sri Nachiyar (Thayar) at the Woraiyur temple close by. According

to legend for weeks before this day which had been fixed for their marriage,

Sriranga was nowhere to be seen. Sri Nachiyar, heard stories of his wandering

around, meeting other women and so, when he finally appeared on their wedding

day, she became very angry and threw out all the fruit and butter and eatables

prepared for the feast. He, however, finally pacified her and convinced her

that he had only gone hunting and that the scratches on his back were made

by a wild animal.

 

Unlike some other temple towns, Srirangam in throbbing with life right through

the year. Trichy being within easy commuting distance makes Srirangam a

desirable

place to live in. Families like those of Rangarajan, the veena maestro attached

to the temple have been able to keep alive the family tradition without

compromising on their education or outside careers, even while living in

Srirangam.

 

Rangarajan's family has been playing for the Lord for 43 generations. Every

morning Ranganathanswamy is woken up by a male member of the family playing

the veena. During Uthsavams, several of them walk in front of the deities

with their veenas strapped across their bodies almost like guitars, playing

and singing. Rangarajan himself retired as the principal of a college in

Trichy. His four sons were educated there and all of them live and work in

close by places.

 

Narasimhan, a direct descendant of Vyasa Bhatta, is a school teacher. In

his ancient house stands a shrine which almost looks like a miniature temple.

Here he keeps some idols which he says have come down to him from his famous

ancestor. His 13-year-old son Senthamaraikannan has already gained mastery

over complicated sanskrit slokas. Narasimhan who visits the temple several

times a day, is confident that his only son will keep the family tradition

alive.

 

Surprisingly, for a religious centre which has no other industry, Srirangam

has not stagnated. Some years ago, the later Jeeyar of the Ahobila Matam

decided to complete a gopuram which had been left unfinished by previous

builders. He succeeded in collecting the enormous resources and manpower

required for this project and constructed the elegant new gopuram at the

entrance of the temple before he passed away.

 

 

Over the past few years, some apartment complexes have also come up on the

banks of the Cauvery which flows on either side of this small island town.

Retired government servants, senior citizens whose children have settled

abroad and others wishing to settle in this peaceful religion oriented community

live here. R. Rajagopalan, who retired from the P & T department last

year finds life at Srirangam very peaceful and surprisingly busy. Although

he had a house in Madras, and has lived all over the country, he preferred

to settle here with his wife Indra who is a veena teacher. Both of them visit

the temple several times a day.

 

L. P. Sampath, who was himself once working for a multinational bank and

also has a house in Madras finds him inexplicably attracted to Ranganathaswamy.

``I came here four years ago,'' he says. ``I have no roots in this area.

Yet I cannot leave. He is holding me here.'' The temple which forms the social

as well as religious hub of the township is full at any time of the day or

night. ``We all keep meeting each other in the temple,'' Sampath says as

we walk down a dirt road and he waves out to some young men wearing traditional

top knots and playing cricket. ``Everyone knows everyone else here. It is

like one huge family. You cannot get this feeling in Madras.''

 

But Srirangam is no idyllic community uncontaminated by the outside world.

As we sat in a friend's house watching cable TV and a totally urban-oriented

discussion on ostentatious display of jewellery and lavish weddings, the

discussion turned to Srirangam. ``All these exist in Srirangam too,'' said

a young bride-to-be. For the young, the ``one huge family'' atmosphere can

be uncomfortable. Apart from the fact that they have no privacy and no outlet

for their youthful interests, they have to keep within some traditional bounds

which they find archaic and inconvenient.

 

And so, as in other such communities, the young migrate, leaving the older

ones to hold onto the roots and keep them nurtured. But, as resident put

it, ultimately many of them return, having experienced the outside world

and got fed up of it. For, the attraction of Ranga is quite formidable.

 

GITA ARAVAMUDAN

 

 

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Vanamali Gati Saarngee Changee chakreecha Nandaki

Sriman NarayanoVishnur Vasudevobi Rakshatu

------Parayana Sloka in Vishnu Sahasranama-----

 

Lakshmi N. Srinivasa,lsriniva,sprinil

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[Guest guest]

At 12:24 PM 2/23/97 -0500, Lakshmi N.Srinivasan wrote:

>Rangarajan's family has been playing for the Lord for 43 generations. Every

>morning Ranganathanswamy is woken up by a male member of the family playing

>the veena. During Uthsavams, several of them walk in front of the deities

>with their veenas strapped across their bodies almost like guitars, playing

>and singing. Rangarajan himself retired as the principal of a college in

>Trichy. His four sons were educated there and all of them live and work in

>close by places.

 

Thanks for taking so much trouble putting the 'Hindu' article on the list.

 

Reading the above I am reminded of the renowned 'nadaswaram-vidwAn', Sheikh

Chinnamoulana.

 

I met him in Jan'97 when he visited my mother at home in Chennai. He is

nearing 70 years of age today and has had a by-pass surgery. He rarely

performs in public these days but people still remember him for his

enthralling artistry on that musical instrument.

 

Not many people know that Sheikh ChinnamoulAna, a Muslim, even today is a

resident of SriRangam. He has a house there and lives with his family as he

has been doing for several years now as far back as anyone can remember.

 

Not many people know that as an ardent devotee of Lord Ranganatha, the

Sheikh must have daily "darshan" at His temple ! Without that audience he

won't lift his "nadaswaram" ! And without practice -- 'nitya-sAdhakam' --

for at least a few hours a day the Sheikh, it is said, won't touch a morsel

of food !

 

Such is the powerful hold that Ranga has on even a non-Hindu ! It is

needless to conjecture on what He does to so bewitch and so captivate

"SriRangam-vAsi-s" of the present --- as He did the past !!

 

sudarshan.

[Guest guest]

On Feb 26, 12:46pm, M K Sudarshan wrote:

> Re: ATTRACTION TOWARDS SRIRANGAM - An article in "Hindu"

> At 12:24 PM 2/23/97 -0500, Lakshmi N.Srinivasan wrote:

>

> >Rangarajan's family has been playing for the Lord for 43 generations. Every

> >morning Ranganathanswamy is woken up by a male member of the family playing

> >the veena. During Uthsavams, several of them walk in front of the deities

> >with their veenas strapped across their bodies almost like guitars, playing

> >and singing. Rangarajan himself retired as the principal of a college in

> >Trichy. His four sons were educated there and all of them live and work in

> >close by places.

>

> Thanks for taking so much trouble putting the 'Hindu' article on the list.

 

I thank Sri Srinivasan for his thoughtful effort and I would want to add to Sri

Srinivasan's efforts in adding glory to Sri Rengarajan's services.

 

This family of Sri Rengarajan is very close to my uncle (father inlaw's) family

and they always play these 5 songs in the eKaantha sErvai during our

irAppaththu

5m thiru naaL ursavam.

 

Those songs are

 

1. O, Ranga saayEE

2. ArAvamudhE

3. meenaay pirakkum vidhi yudaiyEn avEnE

4. one from Thondar adip podi

5. One as per my wife's choice ie "EN paLLi koNdeer iyaa ?" in love for Lord

Ranganatha.

 

Even these years we call on our uapayam day to remind them to sing this song

for my wife's choice in praise of Lord Ranganatha.

 

The first 3 songs are sung for generations and when my grand father who is from

kumbakonam inherited this upayam was thrilled it seems when this arAvamudhE was

played in his upayam. When i first heard these veenai i really cried in emotion

and couldnot control my tears. I have quoted some more edtails on this in my

post on SriRangam.

 

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Thanks to Sri Sudarshan for writing about sheikh cinna mowlaanaa. I would like

to add that I was surpirsed when my uncle inctroduced his daughter as the

nAdaswara vidhwan for our marraige ! Ms Begum was so excellent even in playing

our kruthis and was so informal. We never treated them as an outsider in our

marriage as she and her troupe was given a special "stage" where they would

perform for each and every part ot the marriage. She came to the temple with us

and played the nadaswaram for the jaanvaasam too ! On the marriage day just

after the muhoorththam, As a tradition perumaal maalais and maalais from all

srivaishnava achaaryaaLS will arrive from various temples and will be

garlanded for the married couple. When 48 such maalais arrived for me and my

wife on our marriage (from duvya desams and ah, periyasramam, and pp mutts),

there was a commotion at the podium and as desired Sri Ranganatha perumaaL

maalai was first garlanded by the temple EO and head priest and ms Begum played

the nadaswaram for that with one of the Ranganatha song. She surprised me with

that and I was mentally moved at this instant to a very great extent. I cannot

forget their devotion and I and my wife and our family are very thankful to

them for making my marriage so memorable by playing many perumal songs also.

When we offered the protocol in honoring these vidwans she accpeted our seer

and prasadhams and kumkumam (respecting our protocol) as well.

 

Thanks once again Sri Sudarshan for writing about these ardent devotees of Lord

Ranganatha. Music is the only language that can touch anyone's (irrspective of

religion and caste) heart and tune it to the frequency with Lord. And you are

so gifted to be born to one of the great musician (Mrs Mani Krishnaswamy) of

our times.

 

 

Sri Ranganaayikaa samEtha sri Ranganaatha swami paadhukE charaNam

Sampath Rengarajan