VISIT TO RANGJI MANDIR, VRINDAVAN

[Guest guest]

SrI ranganAtha ParabrahmaNE namah.

Dear BhAgavatas,

Please accept adiyEn's praNAmams.I would like to write about

our trip to RangjI mandir,Vrindavan(U.P).It is the only temple in N India

where our JIyars and other AchAryas used to take TIrtha prasAdas before

the construction of a number of temples by ahObilam mutt,SrImad Andavan

ASramam and VaikhAnasa samAjam (A.P).I and three of my friends in the

campus went there on the day of SrI JayantI(Sept 13, 97).It is a very nice

temple strictly adhered to our sampradAyam and one of the biggest temples

in N India.We prostrated before the DharmakartA and sthAnAchAriar

U.VE.SrImAn Govardhan Rangachary "BadE swAmIjI" and had his

blessings.Limited accommodation is available for SrIVaishNavas in their

guesthouse and we availed that facility.

One of the svAmIs who had come from Nellore to perform a hOmam

proudly claimed that all people doing Kainkaryams of VEda and Divya

prabandha pArAyaNam in the temple are samASrEtAs (unlike in TiruvEngadam

where non-VaishNavas are also employed by the authorities to do the former

kainkaryam).We attended that hOmam(sudarSana) and Tirumanjanam to arangan

and AndAL.During Tirumanjanam they recited panchasUktas and a few

pASurams(may be nIrAttam) and swAmIjI recited a few things in maNi

pravALam quite similar to what U.VE SrImAn Sadagopan wrote in his postings

on Tirumanjana kAttiyam at oppliappan kOil in Oct or so.We could not

attend the Tirumanjana KAttiyam to be performed to Kutti KaNNan in the

night, for we booked our tickets for the evening train in Mathura.

There is arangan in standing

position with SrIdEvI and Garudar in the sanctum-sanctorum.The various

upAlayas include those of TiruvEngadamudaiyAn,YOganarasimhar and

ChakrattALwAr standing bact-to-back as in VaradarAja perumAL kOil in the

JIyangArs' temple in Titupati,and temples of ALwArs and AchAryars as per

PAncharAtra Agamam.we expected many bhAgavatas from different places like

Delhi,Agra,and Mathura to attend the Jayantyutsavam but couldnt see any.

The sthala purANam of the temple as told by the swAmI himself and

as per what I read in "Jin kA main kritagna hoon" by Rahul Sankrityayan is

as follows:

An ancestor of svAmIjI was from KAnchIpuram(if i am not wrong).He

built an ASramam at Vrindavan and settled there.He had a disciple

Lakshmichand Seth by name.The sethjI was not having any children and

approached his gurujI for an upAyam.He advised him to construct a temple

for SrI ranganAthan and the seth did so.soon he had an issue by His

grace. It was constructed some 150 yrs

ago and in those days the construction cost was around 45 lakh Rs..The

dhvaja sthambam is wrapped in gold like in TiruvEngadam and the perumAL

is a rich BhagavAn.The svAmIjI became the first DharmakartA and

sthAnAchAryar and these two resposibilities are taken up by his successors

for generations.They have initiated many N Indians into SrI VaishNavam.The

dharmapatnI of the present svAmIjI happens to be the daughter's daughter

of H.H.SrImAn P B aNNangarAchArya svAmI.

I request all bhAgavatas to visit this "vada arangam" whenever possible.

SrI VEnkatESa charaNau SaraNam prapadyE

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

V.Srimahavishnu

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V. Srimahavishnu, M.Tech (Structures)

C - 211 , Hall - IV

I.I.T. Kanpur - 208 016

INDIA

Email : vsri

s.vinjamuri

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