tiru-k-kuRaL-appan (1 of 2)

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SRIRANGAM tiru-k-kuRaL-appan (Sri vAmana:)

 

~~ written by tirumanjanam Sundara Rajan.

 

(1 of 2).

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

 

NOTE: The write-up is more or less based on the

Tamil booklet written by myself, and released by

Srirangam paunDarIka-puram Srimad ANDavan svAmi,

on November 25 1998 when the 'utsava' icon of Sri-

tAta-dESikan was consecrated in the

tiru-k-kuRaL-appan sannidhi in Srirangam.

(The 'moola' images of Sri-tAta-dESikan and his

'ammangAr' are said to have been installed about

30 years back by Sri Venkata-tAtam.)

 

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

 

 

Sri vAmana-jayanti falls on Sunday, September 10, 2000,

corresponding to SravaNa-nakshatra dvAdaSee in the

month AvaNi (=simha) of the current year vikrama, as per

the Srirangam kOyil vAkya panchAngam.

 

This be the precious time to visit the 'sannidhi' (=shrine) of

tiru-k-kuRaL-appan (Sri vAmana-p-perumAL) in SRIRANGAM. This is situated just a

few paces to the

north of the city's Southern Gate marked by the massive

rAja-gOpuram, consecrated in 1987 and rising over the

16th century edifice of the Vijayanagara ruler Achyuta

Raya. The 'sannidhi' is administered by the group of

six 'kOTi-kannikA-dAnam tAtAchArya' families.

 

FORMER COURSE OF RIVER kAvEri:

 

For those who do not know Srirangam's topography

and history, it is important to note that till about the

time of Sri Ramanuja (1017-1137), the southern division

of river kAvEri flowed by where the rAja-gOpuram

presently stands. (The canal tirumanjana-k-kAvEri

which flows a furlong to the south of the gOpuram

must have constituted the southern fringe of the

original course of the river.) The proximity of the

river caused regular inundation during seasonal

spate. Accordingly, in a brilliant and determined

project of river engineering for flood management,

the many-splendoured koora-nArAyaNa-jeeyar,

Sri Ramanuja's younger contemporary (who later

became the first Sriranga Narayana Jeeyar),

executed the diversion of the course of the river

nearly a mile and a half farther to the south and

secured the embankments with granite-stone.

 

Thus, prior to koora-nArAyaNa-jeeyar's diversion,

the river flowed by lapping the grove where the

tiru-k-kuRaL-appan sannidhi stood at the portals of

Srirangam. This was the arrival station for pilgrims

from the south, and presumably also constituted the

"viSrama-sthalee" (= 'polivooTTu iDam' = rest area)

for the travellers before they entered the city

to proceed to Lord Sriranga-nAtha's Great Temple

('periya kOyil').

 

ANDAL's mangaL/ASAsanam for 'appan':

 

The location of 'appan-sannidhi' suggests itself as

the sacred spot where ANDAL, escorted by her father

periyAzhvAr and uttama-nambi, alighted from her

barge at the end of her passionate journey from

Sri-villi-puttoor.

 

The spot where the blessed pilgrim crew finally

set down the palanquin of kOdai-nAcchiAr and

made camp is where the King Srivallabha later put up

the shrine of ANDAL on the southern end of the

western arm of aDAiya-vaLaindAn enclosure

in Srirangam, just two furlongs from appan-sannidhi.

 

The Great Temple chronicle 'kOyil ozhuku' says

appan-sannidhi was the "sandhyA-maTham"

(the community spot of dawn and twilight oblations),

and that it was ‘always there’ ("anAdi"), that is,

ever since Srirangam's history was being perceived.

It is evident that ANDAL's party alighted near the

appan-sannidhi, rested themselves, and worshipped

'appan' before reaching their camp-site. ANDAL

visualises Sri Ranganatha as tiru-k-kuRaL appan

himself, hymning them together ~

 

"pollA-k-kuRaL uruvAi-p- poR-kaiyil neer ERRu

ellA ulakum aLndu-koNDa em-perumAn

nallArkaL vAzhum naLir-aranga-nAg/aNaiyAn

illAdOm kai-p-poruLum eiduvAn ottuLanE !"

[nAcchiAr 11-5]

 

== "He turned up as the sly young acolyte,

and accepted in his golden palm the spout of

water (for the gift of mahA-bali) and, lo, He

(shot through the outermost heavens and)

spanned to appropriate the worlds entire !

Here I am without any wherewithal; but

He may yet go for even the trifle that I possess!

The folks are gentle here in this enchanted island

of Srirangam, and He the one that reclines on the

serpent couch !) " ==

 

tiru-manGai AzhvAr and 'appan':

 

The appan sannidhi is doubly sanctified. When

tiru-manGai-AzhvAr secured Sri Ranganatha's

direction to celebrate the tiru-adhyayana-utsavam

(celebration of psalmody) to recite the scripture

tiru-vAi-mozhi, he chose this place as provisional

camp for svAmi nammAzhvAr's archA image

he brought over from AzhvAr-tiru-nagari for

presiding over the psalmody of tiru-vAi-mozhi

tiru-nAL. This luminous festival has continued

to be celebrated year after year, ever since

tiru-manGai started it.

 

Following in the sacred footsteps of ANDAL,

tirumanGai AzhvAr also visualises Sriranganatha

as SrivAmana ~

 

"paNDu iv-vAiyam aLappAn SenRu mAvali kaiyil neer

koNDa, Azhi-t-taDak-kai-k- kuRaLan iDam enbarAl,

vaNDu-pADum madhu-vAr-punal vandizhi kAviri

aNDa-nARum pozhil Soozhndu azhakAr ten-arangamE."

(periya tirumozhi 5:4:3)

 

'Sri kaliyan' and 'parakAlan' were the very appropriate

honorofics of tirumanGai-mannan. And, why not?

considering how decisively his scripture served to

silence a cynic of another faith:

 

"oru kuRaLAi iru-nilam moovaDi maN-vENDi

ulakanAittum eeraDiyAl oDukki, onRum

taruga enA mAvaliyAi-c-chirAiyil vAitta

tADALan tAL aNAiveer ! takka-keerti

aru-mARaiyin tiraL nAnkum vELvi Aindum

angangaL avai ARum iSaikaL Ezhum

teruvil-mali vizhA-vaLamum SiRakkum kAzhi-c-

cheerAma-viN-NagarE SErmin-neerE !"

(periya tirumozhi 3:4:1)

 

KERALA AND SRI-VAMANA UTSAVAM:

 

In the State of Kerala, the festival of ONam is

observed in all pageantry recalling Sri vAmana's

visit to mahA-bali. The festivity starts on simha-

hastam day and concludes on vAmana-jayanti.

The festival has participation from the followers

of all religions to-day, almost as a secular event.

 

Two Sri-vAmana-kshEtram have been identified

in the 'sampradAyam'. The first is tiru-k-kurun-kuDi

in the pANDya zone (to-day's district Tirunelveli) in

Tamil region, and the other is tiru-k-kAT-karai in

Kerala. Even though the appan sannidhi in

Srirangam is, in the nature of things, not identified

as a distinct 'divya-dESam', it has a place in the

purANa lore, says the kOyil-ozhuku.

 

SRI-RAMAYANAM AND SRIRANGANATHA:

 

The Sri-rAmAyaNam bonds Sriranganatha and

Lord Sri Rama and the devotee par excellent,

Sri vibheeshaNa AzhvAn. Sriranganatha as

the household deity figures in the verses

 

== "saha patnyA viSAlAkshyA

nArAyaNam upAgamat"

(accompanied by his doe-eyed wife,

he repaired to the household shrine of nArAyaNa

~ this when his coronation was initially announced),

 

== "ikshvAku-kula-dhanam lab.dhvA

lankAm prAyAt vibheeshaNa:"

(receiving the heirloom ~ Sriranganatha ~ of the

ikshvAku dynasty, vibheeshaNa made it home to

lankA ~ at the conclusion of SrirAma's coronation.)

 

The 'daSAdhyAyI' work of Sriranga-mAhAt.myam

gives a detailed account of Sri vibheeshaNa's

installation of Sriranganatha on the island of

river kAvEri. periyAzhvAr makes a pointed

reference to this service rendered by Sri vibheeshaNa,

 

"mann.uDaiya vibheeDaNaRka

matiL ilankai diSai nOkki malar kaN vaitta

ennuDaiya tiru-varangaRku anRiyum

maRRoruvarkku ALAvarE ?"

 

Sri vibheeshaNa's reaching of Sriranganatha to

Srirangam is commemorated in FIVE sculptures,

as under:-

 

1. Tiruchirappalli Rock (northern pillar of the

sixteen-pillar manDapam, facing the rock-cut

shrine of mahEndra-pallava, on the climb

to the top from the tAyumAnavar shrine).

 

Sculpture shows vibheeshaNa wearing a crown

and holding the Sriranga-vimAnam with periya

perumAL in reclension.

 

2. One of northwestern pillars of the SEsha-rAya

maNDapam on fifth (a-kaLankan) prAkAram.

 

Sculpture of vibheeshaNa holding the vimAnam

with nam-perumAL alone.

 

3. Great Temple, fourth (Ali-nADan) prAkAram,

pillar of manDapam at entrance to Sri-bhanDAram.

 

Sculpture with VibheeshaNa holding the vimAnam

with Sri para-vAsu-dEva on the dome.

 

4. Great Temple, third (kula-SEkharan) prAkAram,

two pillars of long colonnaded 'walk' to the north

of tiru-p-pavitra manDapam.

 

Sculpture on two pillars each as in 3.

 

The accounts in SrirAmAyaNam and daSAdhyAyee

are enriched by the padma-purANam (First Book,

sr.shTi-khaNDam) episodes of further interaction

between SrirAma and Sri vibheeshaNa, quite a while

after they had settled down in their respective

kingdoms.

/- to continue.