Sri Manavala Mamunigal Uthsavam day 4 - 2017 : Amavasai and Mandya

Today 19^th Oct 2017  is day 4 of Swami Manavala Maamunigal Uthsavam.  Generally, Deepavali would fall on Amavasai day ~ this year, yesterday was Deepavali and today is ‘Amavasyai ‘.

Nearer Mysore, there is Srirangapatna housing famous Sri Ranganatha temple ~ the religious history of Srirangapatna dates back to 9^th century when the Gangas (Ganga dynasty ) ruled this region from their capital at Talakkadu. They built the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in this island and hence the name Srirangapatna.Later when the region came under the power of Vijayanagara Empire, Srirangapatna was the base. There is a bridge over Cauvery here known as Wellesley Bridge, erected in 1804, under the direction of Dewan Purnaiya and named after the Governor-General, the Marquis of Wellesley. The Siege of Seringapatam in 1799 was the final confrontation of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Mysore. The British, with the allied Nizam of Hyderabad, achieved a decisive victory after breaching the walls of the fortress at Seringapatam and storming the citadel. Tipu Sultan, Mysore's ruler, was killed in the action.

I have on earlier occasions posted on the famous Temple  ‘Sri SelvaNarayana Perumal Kovil’ at Melkote reverred by us as  ThiruNarayanapuram,  a Abhimana sthalam of Udayavar who lived here for 12 years, codified and ordained strict procedures for betterment of Sri Vaishnavism.    It is a hilly protected place, calmness, serenity and divinity pervading here.  It is on rocky hills known as Yadugiri, Yadavagiri and Yadushailadweepa, overlooking the Cauvery valley. Situated now  in Pandavapura taluk, Melkote is closer to Mandya ~ Mandayam Iyengars are great scholars especially in Sanskrit and have been doing yeoman service to Srivaishnavism and kainkaryam to Chelva Narayanar.

History has it that during the 14^thCentury, Melkote suffered an attack by the Muslims. However, during the Vijayanagara period, Thimmanna Dandanayaka repaired and rebuilt temples.  Centuries later, there was to be bloodbath. In 1762 Hyder Ali snatched the Mysore Kingdom and treated Mandyam community who were loyal to Mysore kings very badly. Later in 1783 Tippu killed about 700 families for being loyal to the royal family and took away all their properties.  This killing took place on Deepavali day and in memory of the same those families do not celebrate Deepavali even to-day. To escape from Tippu’s harsh treatment, many families migrated to Madras outside his kingdom. In 1799 the kingdom was restored to the royal family after Tippu was defeated.

I have heard this piece of tragic history  from Dr MAV Swami [Dr Mandayam Ananthanpillai Venkatakrishnan Swami] as  there are other references too.   The website :http://www.mandyam.com/ourorigin.html - has extract from Mandayam Sri Vasihana Mahajanara Chatitre,  by Sri Jatavallabha Singriengar (Civil Engineer &  Ayurvedic Doctor) - published in 1956  .. .. sadly sometimes history is forgotten, and news is presented deliberately in a different dimension as the temple at Srirangapatna was nurtured by this ruler.

*adiyen Srinivasadhasan.