svAmi kOyil aNNan.

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svAmi kOyil aNNan's asterism (puraTTASi-pUraTTAdi //

kanyA-pUrva-prOshTha-padA) occurred on October 1 2001, and there was a

ten-day celebration (September 22 - October 1, followed by 'iyarpA'

recitation the next day) in the famed Srirangam tiru-mALikai of the

AchArya.

 

SRI VARADA-NARAYANA-GURU,

DESCENDANT OF SVAMI MUDALI-ANDAN.

 

kOyil aNNan was the later-day honorofic of varada-nArAyana-guru

(1389-1448 AD) who was the eighth generation descendant of svAmi

mudali-ANDAn (= dASarathi, nephew of Sri Ramanuja).

 

ANDAN'S EMINENT POSITION

IN ADMINISTRATION OF

SRIRANGAM GREAT TEMPLE.

 

ANDAn was appointed by Ramanuja as the chief administrator of periya

kOyil ['Sri-kAryam / sEnApati-dhurandhara'] and, down the generations,

this precious responsibility devolved upon aNNan. Accordingly, aNNan

is among the 'sthalattAr' of 'periya kOyil'

and receives the temple honours as 'vAdhUla-dESikar'. (The full title

and name is 'svAmi kOyil kandADai vAdhUla-dESikan aNNan'.)

 

THE NAME 'KANDADAI'.

 

The name 'kand-ADai' genealogically attaches from svAmi ANDAN's son,

kandADAi ANDAn (who installed Ramanuja's "tamar-ukanda-tirumEni" at

Sri-perum-pudUr and "tAn-Ana-tirumEni" at Srirangam), as the latter was

born after uDaiyavar instructed svAmi mudali-ANDAn to partake of the

Lord's food-offering received from the periya sannidhi, in the

cloth-wrapping 'tiru-p-pAVADai'; when the child was eventually born,

uDaiyavar blessed him for a spiritual career as fragrant as the

'tiru-p-pAVADai'. ['gandha' meaning fragrant and 'ADai' for the

cloth-wrapping; the name, Tamilised as the hybrid 'kandADai', is among

the most pedigreed title among Srivaishnava Acharya households.]

 

KOYIL ANNAN AND MANAVALA-MA-MUNIKAL.

 

aNNan was among the disciples ('ashTa-dig-gajam' or the eight custodians

of memory) of 'periya-jeeyar' maNavALa-mA-munikaL. Both aNNan and Sri

vAna-mA-malai jeeyar had each received from mA-munikaL a pair of his own

(wooden) pAdukA (footwear). Known as the "pon-n-aDiyAm

Sen-kamala-p-pOdukaL", these are encased in gold and adored in the

'tiru-ArAdhanam' of both aNNan tiru-mALikai and vAna-mA-malai maTham,and

are placed on the devotees' crown at the conclusion of

'divya-prabandham' recital ('SAttu-muRai').

 

aNNan's adoration of mA-munikaL was complete and he dedicated a

'kaNNi-nuN Siru-t-tAmbu' panegyric of mA-munikaL. aNNan has the unique

blessing of receiving a 'taniyan' SlOkam from mA-munikaL ~

 

"sakala-vEdAnta-sArArtha-pURNASayam

vipula-vAdhUla-gOtrOd-bhavAnAm varam

ruchira-jAmAtr.-yOGeendra-padASrayam

varada-nArAyaNam mad-gurum samSrayE."

 

ANNAN WITH NO WANDERLUST!

 

Renowned for his passionate attachment to living in Srirangam, aNNan was

named by appiLLai (author of vAzhi-tiru-nAmanGaL) as the One who never

crossed river kAviri flowing by either side of Srirangam,

["kAviri-k-karai kaDavAda kandADai aNNan"].

 

TIRU-MALIKAI AND SRI AHOBILA MATHAM.

 

aNNan's ninth generation descendant (17th century AD), SingarAchArya

(second son of kandADai appan Srinivasacharya) became the 'jeeyar' of

Sri ahObila-maTham. With a view to strengthening the bonds between

aNNan tiru-mALikai and Sri-maTham, he presented to the maTham the

'periya-perumAL' icon which was in worship at tiru-mALikai, and also the

'daSAvatAra sannidhi' (situated close to the koLLiDam river) which was

originally consecrated by tiru-manGai-AzhvAr and later assigned by Sri

Ramanuja to svAmi ANDAn.

 

THREE IDENTIFIED 'AZHAKIYA-SINGAR' ARCHA

IN ANNAN TIRU-MALIKAI.

 

This personage also gifted to tiru-mALikai an 'azhakiya-SinGar', one of

the 'nava-bEra' (nine icons) of ahObilam. This 'archA' forms the

central piece of tiru-mALikai shrine, and an identical icon is

worshipped in svAmi ANDAn tiru-mAlikai in east Chitra stree and in the

Sri maTham situated a furlong from tiru-mALikai. Besides, the

tiru-mALikai has an 'azhakiya-SinGar', one presented to ANDAn by Sri

Ramanuja, and another to aNNan by mA-munikaL. Sri Pillai Lokam Jeeyar

records

[in his Ramanujacharya-divya-charitai] that uDaiyavar got

'azhakiya-SinGar' consecrated in the Seats of all the 74

'simhAsan-adhipati' preceptors.

 

ANNAN HISTORICALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR

SURVIVAL OF PERIYA KOYIL

AND THE HOLY CITY OF SRIRANGAM.

 

The hagiology of svAmi kOyil vAdhUla-dESika aNNan Sri varada-nArAyaNa

guru is extensively written into 'yateendra-pravaNa-prabhAvam' and the

Temple chronicle 'kOyil-ozhugu'. This, besides numerous stone

inscriptions and historical East India Company records testifying to the

several instances when the incumbent aNNan of successive times who, as

an integrated ecclesiastical-temporal ruler of Srirangam, showed great

initiative, at great expense to himself, to ward off marauders' assaults

on Srirangam and its wealth, be they iconoclastic foreigner muslims or

the English or the French or any of the petty local 'rulers'.

 

A NEW "ashTotra-Sata-nAma stOtram".

 

ASu-kavi kiDAmbi T. Govinda aiyangar of Srivilliputtoor has just

composed a Sanskrit lyrical-devotional "Sri-varada-nArAyaNa-guru

ashTotra-Sata-nAma stOtram" with Tamil paraphrase. This has been got

printed kOyil aNNan (iLaiya svAmy) Sri Venkatacharya, and released on

October 1 (aNNan's asterism) at Srirangam tiru-p-pAN AzhvAr sannidhi by

Siru-puliyUr tiru-Azhi aNNan svAmy.

 

PRESENT ANNAN FAMILY ~~ THUMB-NAIL SKETCH.

 

The incumbent svAmi kOyil aNNan Sri Srinivasacharya jealously tends the

name and glory of the imposing kOyil aNNan tirumALikai in Srirangam east

Uttara street. He is supported by his younger brother Sri Venkatacharya

svami, besides the junior scions Sri Jagannathan svami for adhyApakam

and Sri SinGan svami for daily worship and Temple occasions.

 

PRAYER FOR KOYIL ANNAN TIRU-MALIKAI.

 

The Great Temple and holy city of Srirangam owes so much to this

magnificent svAmi kOyil aNNan tirumALikai, and may the Lord 'paravastu'

Sriranga and his divine spouse Sriranga-nAyaki be pleased to grace this

House with many many years of service and guardianship of the sacred

Sri-vaishNava sampradAyam.

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja-dAsan

T.S. Sundara Rajan

at Srirangam.