As I walked out of
Chennai domestic airport, in the inner corridors, there were some paintings ~
and this particular one attracted me, as it was
‘intricate pillars of Srirangam’.
.. … and it took one’s memory to those gory days when Thiruvarangam was
plundered by mindless massacrers
Located between the
two famous rivers, holy Cauvery and its tributary Coloroon, Thiruvarangam
spreads over 150 acres – and is the land
of divine Sri Ranganatha Swamy. The
temple of Aranganathar is the holiest
and the most sacred among the Divya Desams. This place is also called Bhoologa
Vaikuntam (Heaven on Earth). To us the mere utterance ‘Koil’ (Temple) refers to temple of Sri
Aranganathar at Srirangam. The origins
of the ancient Srirangam Temple, the abode of ‘The Superme’, traces back to Emperor Ikshvaku, a precursor
of Sri Rama. It is also known as
‘Ikshvaku kulathanam’ as the Emperor in recognition of his great meditation
obtained ‘Sri Ranga Vimana’ and he installed the deity at a holy place between
the rivers Sarayu and Thamasa in his capital ‘Ayodhya’.
When Malik Kafur
invaded South India (1310-1311 A.D), the town of Srirangam was ransacked and
the treasures of the temple, were looted and transported to Delhi. Thousands
laid down their lives trying to defend the temple. Many Acaryas more
specifically Pillai Logachar underwent harrowing times, taking the Uthsava
Namperumal away from the marauding sultans. The greatest Jagadacharya Sri Ramanuja (1017-1137) played the most
important part in resuscitating and reinvigorating Sri Vaishnavism and made the
philosophy reach the masses. He reformed and streamlined the administration of
the temple in so thorough a style that most of the conventions followed today
originated from him.
Vaikunda Ekadasi is
of greatest significance and directly relevant to this Temple – it is 23 day
celebration of Pagal Pathu & Irapathu and during this one cannot miss the Sesharayar Mandapam. Vaikunta Ekadasi
onwards, for ten nights, Lord Ranganatha holds court in the Tirumamani Mandapam
in the Thousand Pillared Hall. Facing him at the farther end is the sannidhi of
Kothanda Rama flanked by Sita Devi and Lakshmana. The sannidhi itself is
situated in the Sesharayar Mandapam. It seems a strategic placement, for Rama
had worshipped his ancestral deity Ranganathaswamy when in Ayodhya. The
Mandapam is a treasure-trove of evocative sculptures.
Sesharayar Mandapam
is to the south of the Thousand Pillared Hall. It is 41.46 metres in length and
32.16 metres in width with 96 pillars each rising to a height of six feet and
standing witness to the artistic fingers of Indian sculptors of religious
themes. It is also a symbol of the services to art by the rulers of the
Vijayanagar Empire. Tradition associates the mandapam with the Rajagopuram some
centuries ago. A posse of cavalrymen with their horses in readiness in the
first storey as if checking the oncoming intruders would have advertised the
Vijayanagar strength.
Nearer the mantap
is the Vellaigopuram that too bears testimony to a gory history of looting and
immortal sacrifices. The sannathi of
Pillai Lokacharya and Sri Ramanujar are close by.
Here are some
pictures of the horsemen and the architecture at Sesharaya mantap – also posted
is the drawing seen in the airport and down below that is a drawing of the same
done by Mr Desikan Narayanan (Sujatha Desikan) and a drawing in Victoria museum
of 1850 – sure the one hanging in airport would have been bought from some
named artists for a few lakhs – and it pales in comparison to the one drawn by
Mr Desikan (which garnished coverpages of legendary writer Sujatha’s
Srirangathu devathaigal)
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
2nd
Sept. 2018.
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