Thiruppavithrothsavam for Sri Srinivasa Perumal at Sathyavijaya Nagaram, Arni

ஓய்வை விளைவிக்கின்ற கிழத்தனமென்ன, வாழ்க்கையில் கஷ்டங்கள் என்ன ? - மரணம் என்ன ! -  மனித வாழ்க்கையின் அவலங்களை கேள்விப்பட்டு இருக்கிறோம், கண்ணுற்று இருக்கிறோம்.  மனித வாழ்க்கையே “நமக்கு, இது நேராது” என்ற நம்பிக்கையில் காலம் கழிப்பது தானே ! ~ எனினும் ' கொரோனா நோய்" போன்ற வியாதிகள் பரவும்போது - மனம் பயந்து என்ன செய்வது என்பது அறியாமல் தளர்வது மனித இயல்பே அல்லவா !

செடிபோலே செழித்த பாபங்களைத் தீர்க்கும் மருந்தானவன்: திருவேங்கடவன். 'கலியுகத்தில் கண் கண்ட தெய்வமான திருவேங்கடமுடையான் திருமலை திருப்பதியிலும் - அங்கே செல்ல இயலாதவர்களுக்கு, அவரவர் தமதமது  இடங்களுக்கு அருகில் அனுபவிக்க பல்வேறு திருக்கோவில்களில் அற்புத வரப்ரஸாதியாய்  சேவை சாதிக்கின்றான்.    இதோ இங்கே நம் கலியன் திருமங்கை மன்னனின் அற்புத திருமொழி பாசுரம் :  

பாருநீரெரிகாற்றினொடு ஆகாசமும்  இவையாயினான்,

பேருமாயிரம் பேசநின்ற பிறப்பிலி பெருகுமிடம்,

காரும் வார்ப்பனி நீள்விசும்பிடைச் சோருமாமுகில்  தோய்தர,

சேரும் வார்ப்பொழில்  சூழ் எழில்  திருவேங்கடம்  அடைநெஞ்சமே.

 

பஞ்ச பூதங்கள் எனப்படும் :  நீர்;  நெருப்பு;  காற்று;  நிலம்; , ஆகாயம்  எனும் பஞ்சபூத ஸ்வரூபியானவனும், ஸஹஸ்ர நாமங்களாலும் பிரதிபாதிக்கப்படும்  பரிசுத்தமான, கருமை பயனான,  பிறத்தல் இல்லாதவனுமான எம்பெருமான் ஸ்ரீமன் நாரணன்  - வளருகிற இடமானதும், பெரிய ஆகாசத்தினின்றும் மழைநீரும் மிக்க பனித்துளியும் பெய்யப்பெற்றதும், வானத்திலுள்ள  காள மேகங்கள் வந்து படியும்படியாக  பொருத்தமான  உயர்ந்து ஓங்கி  மணம் கமழும் ரம்மியமான  சோலைகளாலே  சூழப்பெற்றதும்  எழில் பொங்கும் அழகினையுடைய திருவேங்கடத்தை சென்று அடை என்று தம் நெஞ்சிற்கு ஆணையிடுகிறார் கலியன்.   திருமலையோ, திருவரங்கமோ, திருவல்லிக்கேணியோ வேறு எந்த திவ்யதேசமோ .. .. நம் எம்பெருமான் ஸ்ரீமன் நாரணன் தன பக்தர்களை காப்பாற்ற எப்போதும் காத்திருக்கிறான்.  அவன் திருவடி நீழலில் சேர்வதே நமக்கு எல்லா பிணிகளுக்கு மருந்து.

Life in a divyadesam offers wondrous opportunities of His darshan and our ancestors categorically said that one should not live in a place where there is no temple – today some beautiful photos of Emperuman and some historical details of temple – Sree Padmavathi Thayar samedha Sree Srinivasa Perumal Thirukkovil at Sathya Vijaya Nagaram, Arni Taluk, Thiruvannamalai district (thanks to kainkaya Sri Babu Battar swami and photos of Thirumalai Vinjamoor Venkatesh swami) 

History is always   interesting  (not when read in school !) ~ and perhaps what was read in school curriculam was a miniscule part that too a tinted version ..   we read about Battles of Panipat, Plassey and more but not much on South India .. .. 

In the summer of 1751, Chanda Sahib left Arcot to besiege Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah at Trichinopoly. This placed the British at Madras in a precarious position, since the latter was the last of their major allies in the area. The British company's military was also in some disarray, as Stringer Lawrence had returned to England in 1750 over a pay dispute, and much of the company was apathetic about the dangers the expanding French influence and declining British influence posed. Clive, who accompanied the force as commissary, was outraged at the decision to abandon the siege. Clive occupied Arcot without firing a shot. The fort was a rambling structure with a dilapidated wall a mile long.

Not a history post but one about the beautiful Temple and Emperuman at Sathiyavijayanagaram, a town in Tiruvanamalai district.   Arni is famous home to silk weaving, spinning mills and agricultural industries. Famous Arni silk and a paddy variety named Arni Ponni, known for its rich aroma originates at Arni.  By some accounts the name   Arni came from the Tamil word Ar+Ani which means, “beautified by Ar tree”, Ar being the Indian laburnum. The town existed during the period of Rashtrakutas and Cholas, and came under Hoysala rule and Vijayanagara Empire. It was Maratha King Shahji, father of Veer Shivaji, who handed over Arni along with 192 villages around it to his Commander Vedhaji Bhaskara Punt in 1640 AD. During the reign of Bhaskara Punt, Veer Shivaji had visited Arni on his way to Tanjore (Thanjavur). The town with all of its 192 villages, 211 sq. miles in all, formed the Arni Jagir, thence ruled over by the Arni Jagirdars from the Punt family. The Jagir was abolished under the Zamindar Abolition Bill, 1948, when the annual revenue of the Jagir was about Rs. 2.5 lakhs per year!

Sri Satya Vijaya Teertharu was a pontiff of Uttaradhi Mutt. The Jagirdar of Arani, Venkatanatha Rao Sahib, who was the descendant of Pant, was an ardent devotee of this saint. The Jagirdar constructed the mutt and Moola Brindavan for this saint and also renamed the village after the saint. Later, the King shifted from Arani and built a magnificent palace near the Brindavan and settled down here.

Sathya Vijana Nagaram – a small town now was once the mighty capital of Arni Jagirs lying on the banks of river Kamandala Naganadi, established by Venkatanatha Rao after the Moola Uttrathi Mutt Sri Sathyavijaya Theerthavaru.  In its glory, it was hemming with horses, men and wealth !   - arched windows, lime polished walls, high columns, enormous corridors, stucco work of lions, paintings,  and more.   

The Battle of Arnee  took place on 3.12.1751 during the Second Carnatic War. A British-led force under the command of Robert Clive defeated and routed a much larger Franco-Indian force under the command of Raza Sahib. The loss of the capital Arcot significantly damaged the prestige of Chandra Sahib and his French allies. Less than three weeks after Arcot, Clive encountered the Franco-Indian force near the small town of Arni, about twenty miles south of Arcot. Raza Sahib's army, having retired to nearby Vellore, had been reinforced by the French. On the other hand, Clive's forces had been supplemented by the Marathas under Morari Rao, who had been convinced that the price offered for their participation was high enough. Clive’s artillery fire proved more effective and forced the French vanguard to move along the causeway with their artillery, making them easy targets for Clive’s guns. Clive's victory at Arni was distinct from that at Arcot of resisting a siege

Now with the efforts of Sri Babu Battar and others, festivals are being conducted in a grand manner at Sathyavijayanagaram   Sri Padmavathi Thayar samedha Sri Srinivasa Perumal thirukkovil.  This temple is 5 kms off Arni in Seyyar Arni route. Thiruppavithrothsavam is to be held from tomorrow. Here are some photos of pushpa yagam and Thiruppavithra uthsavam at this temple  taken on earlier occasions.

adiyen Srinivasa dhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar
27^th Sept 2021. 

PS 1 :  Arni is famous for its silk sarees and Arni Sari has GI tag too.  

2.  More on Arni Jagirs -  the 10th Jagirdar, also Srinivasa Rao Sahib –  created an endowment for the prize at Presidency College  in 1877 -  Gold Medal for outstanding students in Physics and Chemistry.  The medal reads “Presented in loyal Commemoration of the visit of HRH Prince of Wales to Madras by the Jagir of Arni”. Two Nobel Prize recipients have received the Arni Gold Medal – Sir C.V. Raman in 1905, and Dr. S. Chandrasekar in 1930. Somewhere around 1936, this practice was discontinued.

3. The Jagirdars had a lavish life style – at one time they owned 182 cars, all imported!  

4.  The "Moola Brindavan" of His Holiness Sri Sathyavijaya Swamiji is situated on the banks of Kamandala Naga Nadi in Sathavijayanagaram village ( where the Arni palace is located)  - Sri swamiji was illustrious descendent in the pontifical line of Sri Utharadi Mutt, 23^rd in the order since Sri Sri Madhvacharya

Biblio : www . arnijagir.com  &  srisatyavijaya . org