Adhyayana Uthsavam at Thiruneermalai divyadesam 2018

Adhyayana Uthsavam at Thiruvarangam and other Divyadesams

Generally, people get excited about Vaikunda Ekadasi and ‘Paramapada  Vasal’ ~ commonly called ‘Sorga vassal thirappu’.. .. this year Vaikunda Ekadasi falls on Tuesday 18^th Dec 2018 (3^rd day of Margazhi) ~ Pagal pathu uthsavam commenced on 8.12.18 and today is day 2  ~ from 18.12. till 27.12.18 will be Irapathu .. and on 29^th is Iyarpa Sarrumurai  (interested in some detail !)

……… they are part of the Adhyayana Uthsavam beginning with Pagal Pathu, Irapathu – concluding with Thiruvadi Thozhuthal and Iyarpa Sarrumurai.  Legend has it that this Uthsavam hailing the significance of ‘Thiruvaimozhi’ of Nammazhwar, known as ‘Thiruvaimozhi Thirunaal’ was being celebrated right from the times of Thirumangai Mannan to Nathamunigal.  The Pagal pathu uthsavam is now on at Sri Vaishnava Divyadesams.

In life there are moments, when you feel extremely elated ~ one explicable moment is when you are at Thiruvarangam soil and  have darshan of Nam Perumal … as one travels with the purpose of worshipping at Booloka Vaikuntham [the heavenly abode of Lord Maha Vishnu on this earth] –the great place described by Thondaradipodigal as

“கங்கையில் புனித மாய காவிரி நடுவு பாட்டு *  பொங்குநீர் பரந்து பாயும் பூம்பொழிலரங்கந்தன்னுள்*

At the Bhooloka Vaikundam of Srirangam Divyadesam, it begins from Suklapaksha Ekadasi and celebrated for 23 days whence Namperumal listens to the vedas and Nammazhvar's Thiruvaimozhi as rendered by the Araiyars. The festival is divided into two parts, ten days before Vaikunda Ekadasi known as Pagalpathu  and  10 days from Vaikunda Ekadasi  known as Raapathu. 

The adhyayana Uthsavam (the opportunity of chanting 4000 divyaprabandham) infront of Presiding deity and ensemble of Azhwars and Acaryas occurs in all divyadesams and all important Sri Vaishnavaite temples.

Thiruneermalai  has a beautiful pushkarini and is in two parts – one at the ground level and the other atop a small hill.   The sannathi of Neervannar is at the base along with his consort Animamalar Thayar and sannathies of Kalyana Ramar and Andal. As one  ascends 300 odd steps, one can have great darshan of Lord Ranganathar (in reclining posture);  Thiruvikramar; Lord Narasimha (in sitting posture)  - “நின்றானிருந்தான் கிடந்தான் நடந்தாற்கிடம் மாமலையாவது நீர்மலையே” – in the words of Thirumangai Azhwar. 

The Lord in Krishna Avathar married Nappinnai coming from the cowherd clan and the lotus dame Mahalakshmi;  He remained ever merciless against the Asuras ~ that great Lord who is worshipped standing  at  divyadesam surrounded by groves of the well watered Thirunaraiyur, in a sitting posture at Thiruvali, reclining at Thirukudanthai and measuring the earth at Thirukkovalur – is to be seen and worshipped at the great hill abode at Thiruneermalai. 

The Uthsava idol of Sri Ranganathar is in the Temple on the foothills ~ and today (9/12/18 – day 2 of Pagal pathu) had the opportunity of partaking in Periyazhvar Thirumozhi sarrumurai at the divyadesam in front of Sri Ranganathar.   Here are some photos of the grand uthsavam.

adiyen Srinivasa dhasan.