Fw: Age-long custom revived in ancient temple

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Govindarajan :

 

Many Thanks for your posting .

Even today , there is an area denoted as

Ranga Mantapam at Thirumala Templ to recall

reverentially the House guest from Srirangam stayed .

It is next to AchArya RaamAnuja Sannidhi.

 

V.Sadagopan

 

-

Ramji Govindarajan

 

Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, Dec 11 (UNI) The important Vaishnavite ''Sri Ranganatha

Swamy Temple'' here, the first among the 108 ''Divya Desams'' wore a festive

look today, when a group of officials and priests from the Tirumala Tirupati

Devasthanam (TTD) honoured it with holy gifts, in remembrance of preservation of

the processional deity ''Nam Perumal'' in Tirupati during the invasion by

Muhammad bin Tughlaq in the 13th century.

 

The age-old custom which was suspended for some time was revived this year.

 

It was in the year 1323 AD that Mohammad bin Tughlaq invaded south India and

took Madurai as his capital. The temple of Srirangam was then occupied and

transformed into a fortified camp, temple officials said quoting historical

evidences.

 

But the precious idols, some of the jewels and necessary articles for worship

were saved before the Muslim invasion and transported to Tirupati, where they

remained until 1371 AD, they said.

 

The 40 representatives of TTD, led by A P N Narayana Sharma IAS, Executive

Officer, handed over the holy gifts, comprising silk ''parivattams'', silk

clothing to the deity and his consort Sri Ranganayaki and saint Ramanuja and a

decorative temple umbrella, at a glittering function in the temple complex.

 

Earlier, the holy gifts were taken out in a procession in the presence of a

large number of devotees through the important streets around the temple. The

honours were received by the Srirangam temple authorities, led by P Sivakumar,

Executive Officer and Joint Commissioner of the Srirangam temple and Sriranga

Naranaya Jeer.

 

The unique feature of the ceremony was that the temple honours were offered on

the''Kaisika Ekadesi'', an auspicious day for the Vaishnavite tradition.

 

 

 

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srirangarAja charaNAmbhuja rAja hamsam

srimad parAnkusa padhAmbhuja brungarAjam|

sri bhattanAtha parakAla mukhAbhja mitram

srivatsachihnna saranam yathirAjameedE||

 

I pay homage to Sri Ramanuja, the swan who has chosen the Lotus Feet of Sri

Ranganatha as his refuge;

who is collecting the pollen and nectar from the flower-like feet of Parankusa

(NammAzhwAr);

who brightens like the sun the faces of Bhattanatha (PeriAzhwAr) and Parakala

(Thirumangai AzhwAr), and

who is the refuge of Kuresa!

 

 

 

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