SRIRANGA's Sri-vatsa-Lakshmi.

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This is a DISTRESS MESSAGE addressed to the devotees of Periya Perumal,

Lord Sriranganatha, Srirangam.

 

Sent ***herewith in attachment*** is my detailed write-up on the

campaign going on in Srirangam for the last fifteen days, for the

forthwith restoration of the ICONIC image of Sri-vatsa-Lakshmi on the

Sacred Image of Periya Perumal, well in time for the

'mahA-samprOkshaNam' scheduled for March 15.

 

Following are the extracts of the 'attachment'

 

It will strengthen the sacred cause if the devotees could send urgent

telegrams to Dr M. Karunanidhi, Chief Minister of Tamil

Nadu,Chennai-600009 (India),

for "immediate restoration of the iconic image

of Sri-vatsa-Lakshmi on the chest of Srirangam Periya Perumal".

 

SRI RANGANATHO JAYATU

SRIRANGA-SRI-scha VARDHATAAM !

 

*** aDiyEn rAmAnuja-dAsan

T.S. Sundara Rajan

@ SRIRANGAM.

 

===================================================

 

The Srirangam Great Temple ('periya-kOyil') is receiving a massive (and

rather distressingly rapid) 'renovation', and the consecration

(mahaa-samprokshanam) is scheduled for March 15 2001.

 

Of all the knowingly and unknowingly committed lapses noticed in the

ongoing restoration in the Great Temple,

the most sacrilegious and emotionally hurtful action is the move to mark

the chest of the sacred person of 'moola-moorti' of Lord Sriranga (known

as Periya Perumal)

with the tantric triangle symbol after reportedly scraping off the

embossed image of Sri-vatsa-Lakshmi (also referred to as

Yoga-Lakshmi). The

worshipping public of Srirangam and its immediate neighbourhood feel,

as would the innumerable devotees all over India and the world would

feel,

that the Sacred Image of Lord Sriranga (manifest as Ananta-Saayee

Vishnu) is getting vandalised.

 

The HR&CE Commissioner, Thiru. S. Savarkar, IAS, received a group led by

Thiru.A. Krishnamachari, Secretary of the Srirangam Temple Heritage

Protection Committee, on the evening of March 5 2001 in the Office of

the Temple Devasthanam,

for considering the issue of restoring the

venerated image of Sri-vatsa-Lakshmi on the chest of the majestic and

Sacred Image of the reclining Lord Sriranga. Others present were,

Chairman of Renovation Committee Thiru Venkataraman, Thiru Ganapati

Sthapati, Singaperumal Uttamanambi Svami, Lakshmi-narasimha Paraasara

Bhattar Svami, Koyil Kandaadai Annan Srinivasacharya's son Singan Svami,

and Sri T.S. Sundara Rajan. Midcourse of the meeting, the senior

serving archaka, Sri Srinivasarangan, was called over for consultation.

 

A comprehensive compilation of classical references to the Sacred Image

of Periya Perumal (the reclining Lord Sriranga) and specific description

of the iconic Sri-vatsa-Lakshmi on the Lord's chest was submitted to the

Commissioner.

 

Every one of these references was explained in context

by the visiting Group, but all of it was unfortunately rejected by the

Chairman who was constantly being briefed to the contrary by Thiru

Ganapati Sthapati

whose extent of knowledge of the national literary, cultural and

religious history, as well as virulent sectarian bias, were betrayed in

his remark (during the meeting) that Srivaishnava religion was

established as late as the Eighth century A.D.!

 

There have been some identifiable improvements and gains for this

ancient and massive temple complex, which is one of six or seven such in

the world.

 

The debit side includes the irrepairable damages caused (by mindless

sandblasting) to precious historic lithic inscriptions, as well as the

gallery of lofty pillar-sculptures of Azhvar mystics in the

Gadya-Trayam (or, Panguni Uttaram) manDapam in the Sriranga Devi

shrine.

 

Elsewhere, in an administration more sensitive to religious values,

history and art-treasures, this instance would be identified as

philistine and outrageous vandalism.

 

FLASH NEWS

 

1. It is reported that the HRE Commissioner will visit Srirangam by 9

a.m. on Friday March 9 2001 to settle this issue.

2. The application of 'taila-k-kaappu' (distillation of special oil

extracts) on the re-dressed Sacred Image of Periya Perumal Lord Sri

Ranganatha is scheduled for March 10.

3. On oral instructions of the Commissioner, the evidence of two senior

archaka-svamis, Sri Srinivasa Bhattar and Sri Gopu Bhattar, was taped on

March 7, and they categorically declared that Sri-vatsa-Lakshmi was very

much manifest on Periya Perumal's chest after the maha-samprokshanam of

July 12 1959.

4. This positive evidence of the two venerated archakas is further

corroborated by the same degree of positive evidence given to the

Dinamani newspaper correspondence on March 7 (not yet published) by Sri

Tiruvenkatam of Tanjavur (now a practising homeopath) who had been a

helper for Sri Rajan Sthapati who effected the dressings for the Sacred

Image of Periya Perumal following the Sanctum fire in 1959. Sri

Tiruvenkatam had watched as the Sthapati restored the ICONIC IMAGE of

Sri-vatsa-Lakshmi, with thumb-thick embossing and three inches across

in size.

 

Relief sought

 

In conformity with the photographic and other Shastra evidences, and

evidences available on the other images of the Temple, the iconic image

of Sri-vatsa-Lakshmi should forthwith be restored on the chest of the

Sacred Image of Lord Sri Ranga (Periya Perumal), WELL BEFORE the

samprokshanam scheduled for 15 March 2001.

 

The vast numbers of the Vaishnava world look to the Honourable Chief

Minister of Tamil Nadu, Dr M. Karunanidhi, for IMMEDIATE and positive

intervention in this matter.