For a Chennai
resident, trip to Chennai Central is but regular- beside the iconic Red
building that provides the trackway to many other destinations, is another
landmark building – the Ripon Building, a fine modern attempt at the
Indo-Saracenic, the headquarters of the Corporation, to which the move from
Errabalu Chetty street was made in 1913. A magnificant white building, it was
built by Loganatha Mudaliar. It was
declared open at a function attended by over 3000 of the city's elite. Lord Ripon,
Viceroy from 1880-1884, when he introduced local government reforms is
remembered in a statue here.
Udayavar Thirumeni – without garland and
grand one with garland
Can you
identify this Udayavar and where could one have darshan of Him ? As one moves on the Sydenhams road leading to
the famous Nehru stadium – is the Periamet area, the hub of leather trade in the city. You may not
have ventured into the many winding
small lanes – today, I went through Karpura Mudali Street to Thoppai Street ~
and what a great darshan it turned out to be !
Tradition is the
sustaining force of any culture. It
remains the primary link between the past and present. The highly cultured traditions determine the
culture level of the society – its strength lies in its antiquity. We are fortunate to have had great Acharyas
as our Gurus – this is the time we are celebrating the sahasrabdi of the
Greatest Acharyar Sri Ramanujar – Udayavar organized the procedure of daily
worship in temples and handed over to us systems, that have stood the
time.
Ramanujacharya travelled far and wide through the Bharatham –
he went to Thiruvananthapuram, established order at Thirumala, went to
Kashmeeram to access ‘boddhayana vrutti’
– a rate treatise on Vyasa brahma sutra. While his thirumenis at Srirangam,
Thirumalai, Thirupathi, Sriperumpudur, Thirunarayanapuram, Thirukachi,
Thiruvallikkeni and many many more places are exceptionally prominent, there
are thousands more at other temples too .. .. ….
Today, had darshan of
our Swami Ramanujar at Sri Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal Temple, Thoppai St.,
Periamet, Chennai 3 (the one collaged at the beginning) – here are some photos
and sure the Sishyas of Acharyar Udayavar
would adore the exquisitely beautiful archavathara meni of Swami Emperumanaar.
Here are some photos
(thanks to Agaram Sriram and Kavalkazhani Srinivasan)
adiyen
Srinivasadhasan.
23rd Apr
2017.
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