Celebration of Sri Ramanuja Jayanti at Thiruvellarai-Articles from The Hindu

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Swamins, Please go through the articles about Sri Ramanujar Sannidhi at Thiruvellarai from 'The Hindu' Trichy Edition. 1) Avathara Tirunakshatram’ of Sri Ramanujar celebrated Staff Reporter Photo: R. Ashok DEVOTION: The idol of Sri Ramanujar being taken out in a procession in Tiruvellarai near Tiruchi on Friday. — TIRUCHI: A number of devotees offered their prayers to Sri Ramanujar at

Sri Pundarikaksha Perumal temple in Tiruvellarai near here on Friday on the occasion of the ‘Avathara tirunakshtram’ (birth-star) celebrations. The idol of Sri Ramanujar was taken from the sanctum sanctorum to those of Sri Pundarikaksha Perumal and Sri Sengamalavalli Thayar where religious rituals were performed. Later, the idol of Sri Ramanujar was taken in the outer ‘praharam’ of the temple (Azhwar Tiruchutru), the Sri Udayavar sannidhi and the car-streets around the temple before reaching the ‘mandapam’ in front of the Sri Thaayar sannidhi. Special ‘mangalasasanam’ was performed by Vedic pandits who recited hymns of the ‘Naalayira Divya Prabandam.’ It is in the month of ‘Chithrai’ that the ‘Avatara Tirunakshatrams’ of Sri Uyyakondar, Sri Engal Azhwar and Sri Ramanujar fall and the recital marks the celebrations. The recital of the Prabandam which commenced on the birth-star of Sri Uyyakondar on Tuesday, continued the

next day and concluded on Friday, as part of their birth-star celebrations respectively Sri Ramanujar who was born in 1017 A.D. with ‘Thiruvathirai’ as birth-star in the Tamil month of Chithrai, introduced certain reforms in the administration of the Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy temple. However, following protest by a section of people, he left Srirangam and stayed at Tiruvellarai for some years till he was invited back. 2)Sri Udayavar Sannidhi faces utter neglect M. Balaganessin Photo: R. Ashok sad: Thick growth of vegetation at the outer ‘Praharam’ of Sri Udayavar Sannidhi in Tiruvellarai near Tiruchi. — TIRUCHI: Devotees, who came to offer worship to Sri Ramanujar, popularly known as Sri Udayavar, at the Sri Pundarikaksha Perumal temple in Tiruvellarai on the occasion of his ‘avatara tirunakshathiram’ on Friday were shell-shocked to find the Sri Udayavar Sannidhi at a place closely associated with his life, in a state of neglect. Thick growth of vegetation and thorny species at a major part of the outer ‘praharam’ of the sannidhi forced the devotees to give up their conventional circumambulatory worship around the sanctum sanctorum. According to A.S. Raju alias Srinivas, the Kainkaryaprargal of the temple, its regular maintenance would go a long way in helping the devotees go

around the ‘sannidhi’. A devotee, T. R. Rajan, who explained the significance of Sri Ramanujar’s stay at Tiruvellarai for some years, said that this Divaya Desam formed a sub-temple of Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple. They suggested that the maintenance of the ‘sannidhi’ be taken up as a donor work for enhancing the religious environment in the area. References: http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/10/stories/2008051059330300.htm http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/10/stories/2008051060010600.htm Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan, Srinivasan.

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