Thirumangai Mannan Aesal 2026

 

Thiruvallikkeni Thirumangai mannan aesal 02/07/2026

: https://youtu.be/dkfomZDN_hk

Sri Azhagiya Singar kuthirai vahana aesal 2026

 

Sri Thelliya Singar kuthirai vahana aesal 2026

:  https://youtu.be/XahbwHvSciY

Sri Parthasarathi Perumal Vasanthothsava Sarrumurai 2026

 

Sri Parthasarathi Perumal Vasanthothsava Sarrumurai  2026

Kuthirai vahana Purappadu to Vasantha Bungalow and thence Besant Road, Vasudevapuram, Nammalwar Street, TP Koil St Extn – periya madaveethi  25.5.2026  :  https://youtu.be/MzGUj2w6fD8

Sri Parthasarathi kuthirai vahana savaari paagai 2026

 

செம்மின் முடி திருமாலை விரைந்தடி சேர்மினோ !!

திருவல்லிக்கேணி ஸ்ரீபார்த்தசாரதி எம்பெருமான் சவாரி பாகை

- குதிரை வாஹன பத்தி உலா.

8.5.2026

திருவல்லிக்கேணி குட்டி பெருமாள் & திருமங்கை மன்னன் - குதிரை வாகன ஏசல்.

 

திருவல்லிக்கேணி ஸ்ரீபார்த்தசாரதி ப்ரஹ்மோத்சவம் 2026

குட்டி பெருமாள் & திருமங்கை மன்னன் - குதிரை வாகன ஏசல்.

https://youtu.be/kwxYd9zoVoo

Sri Prahlada of Sri Vyasaraja Mutt on kuthirai vahanam .

 

Triplicane is a seat of religions.....here is

Sri Prahlada of Sri Vyasaraja Mutt on kuthirai vahanam .

Sri R Sanjeevi is the priest !

Ratha Sapthami - Sri Parthasarathi Perumal Surya prabhai purappadu 2026

 

Ratha Sapthami - Sri Parthasarathi Perumal Surya prabhai purappadu 2026

 

The Greek island of Rhodes is a sunny place. So much so that the ancient Rhodians built a colossal statue to the sun god Helios – the mighty Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.   When one travels to Greece or study Greek mythology, they are sure to  encounter stories of the Greek god, Helios, called the God of the Sun. In Greek mythology, Helios is the offspring of the titans Hyperion and Theia, and his sisters were Selene (the Moon) and Eos (Dawn). These quick facts will help you get to know more about Helios.  Often represented as a handsome youth with a rayed headdress indicates his solar attributes.  Helios, sometimes called Titan drives a chariot daily from east to west across the sky, sailing  around the northerly stream of Ocean each night in a huge cup. Helios rises from a golden palace beneath the sea and drives his fiery chariot across the sky every day, providing daylight. Once he let his son Phaeton drive his chariot, but Phaeton lost control of the vehicle and plunged to his death.      

நல்லறங்கள் கூறும் மணிமேகலை காப்பியத்தின் நுழைவாயில் “பதிகம்” எனப்படும் முதல் அத்தியாயம்:  

இளங் கதிர் ஞாயிறு எள்ளும் தோற்றத்து - விளங்கு ஒளி மேனி விரி சடையாட்டி

பொன் திகழ் நெடு வரை உச்சித் தோன்றி.. .. ...

செந்நிறம் கொண்ட சூரியனைத் தோற்கும் அளவுக்கு பேரொளி மின்னும் உடலும், விரிந்த சடையும் கொண்ட “சம்பு” என்னும் தேவதை,  சீத்தலைச் சாத்தனார் முன்கதைச் சுருக்கமாக புலவர் இளங்கோ அடிகளிடம் சொல்வதாக அமைந்துள்ளது இப்பகுதியில் பூம்புகார் நகரின் புகழ் கூறுகிறார் சாத்தனார்.  இந்த பதிவு மணிமேகலை அல்லது   சம்பு தேவதை புகழ் பாடுவது அல்ல !.  

நாம் அனுதினமும் காலையில் காணும் பெரிய சிகப்பு பிழம்பாம் சூரியனுக்கு பற்பல பெயர்கள் உண்டு :  அவற்றில் சில : ஆதவன், ஆதித்தன், கதிரவன், ஞாயிறு, பகலவன்,  எல்லி, கனலி, வெய்யோன், தினகரன், தினமணி, பானு, உதயன், அருணன், இரவி, அருக்கன், பரிதி. ..  கதிரவன் அல்லது சூரியன் (Sun) என்பது கதிரவ அமைப்பின் மையத்தில் உள்ள விண்மீன் ஆகும். இது கிட்டத்தட்ட கோள வடிவில் இருக்கும் சூடான பிளாசுமா ஆகும். இதன் உட்புற வெப்பச்சலன இயக்கமானது இயக்கவியல் செயல்முறை மூலம் காந்தப்புலத்தை உருவாக்குகிறது.  புவியில் உயிர்கள் வாழ்வதற்கான ஆற்றல் மூலம் கதிரவன் தான்.  

சூரிய பகவான்  தன் ரதத்தில் தினமும் சுற்றி திரும்பும் நேரமே ஒருநாள். சூரிய பகவான் ஒரு முகூர்த்த காலத்தில் 27,206,400 மைல்கள் சஞ்சரிக்கும் வல்லமை உடையவர். கருடனின் சகோதரரான அருணனே சூரிய பகவானின் தேர்ப்பாகனாக திகழ்கிறார். அறுபதாயிரம் வால்கிய முனிவர்கள் தினமும் சூரியன் வலம் வரும் பாதையில் அவரை தரிசிக்கின்றனர்.  காயத்ரி, ப்ரஹதி, உஷ்ணிக், ஜகதி, திருஷ்டுப், அனுஷ்டுப், பங்க்தி என்கிற ஏழு குதிரைகள் சூரியனின் ரதத்தை இழுத்துச் செல்கின்றன.  

Today,  25.01.2026    (11^th   day of Thai masam) is  Ratha Sapthami.   Ratha means chariot &  Sapthami is a thithi in a lunar month falling on the 7th  day of both sukla and Krishna paksha.   Ratha Sapthami also Surya Jayanthi is celebrated on 7th  day after Thai Amavasai-  Shukla paksha (waxing phase of moon)  dedicated to God Surya.   

Compared with the billions of other stars in the Universe,  it  is remarkable.  It is infact  a ball of gas (92.1 percent hydrogen and 7.8 percent helium) held together by its own gravity. It is  4,500,000,000 years old!  That's a lot of zeroes. That’s four and a half billion.  Going by what others do, i.e., burning  for about nine or 10 billion years – it can be said tobe halfway through its life. So no worries, it still has about 5,000,000,000—five billion (500 crores !)—years to go.  It is the SUN.  

Science is very interesting !  - When those five billion years are up, the Sun will become a red giant. That means the Sun will get bigger and cooler at the same time. When that happens, it will be different than the Sun we know today. As a red giant, our Sun will become about 2,000 times brighter than it is now!  The Sun, at the heart of our solar system, is a yellow dwarf star, a hot ball of glowing gases. Its gravity holds the solar system together, keeping everything from the biggest planets to the smallest particles of debris in its orbit.  In what is being considered a particularly rare event, scientists are projecting that the Sun will be an unusually cool customer by the year 2050. By combining data and observations from decades of Sun research, experts are predicting a “Grand Solar Minimum” will occur a few decades from now, making our parent star dimmer and cooler than it has been for a very long time.  Though to the common man,  the Sun would continue to look the same way as we have seen,  Sun goes through regular cycles of solar minimums and solar maximums, and that way,  a particularly cool solar minimum is on the way.  

It is believed that earth’s inclination towards the sun is the steepest on Ratha sapthami  day.  At some regions, special bathing rituals are observed.   Surya (Sun) worship is deep rooted in the Vedas and other Hindu scriptures.  The day  is celebrated as the birth of Surya to Sage Kashyapa and his wife Aditi and celebrated as Surya Jayanthi in many parts. Legend has it that the greatest warrior Bhishma breathed last the day after the Ratha Sapthami day.  The Pithamaha is one the greatest characters in the Epic Mahabaratha and the asthami is revered as “Bhishmaashtami”.  

The Sun god is driven by a seven-horsed Chariot depicting the seven days of the week.   Going by Upanishad, their names are : Gayatri, Brhati, Usnik, Jagati, Tristup, Anustup and Pankti.  The charioteer of Surya is Aruna, who is also personified as the redness that accompanies the sunlight in dawn and dusk. Aruna was born to Vinatai and Sage Kashyapa….. the other son is the most illustrious Periya Thiruvadi (Sri Garuda Azhwar)  ~ to Aruna was born Jatayu and Sampati, who are mentioned in the epic Ramayana.  The chariot of Sun travels at a speed of 3,400,800 yojanas calculated as 27,206,400 miles in a muhurtha.   

Uttarayana is the six month period between Makara sankranti (Jan 14) and July 14 when Sun travels towards North in the celestial sphere. Ratha saptami marks the seventh day following the Sun’s northerly movement of vernal equinox starting from Capricorn (Makara).  A  journey from Makara rekai to Kadaka rekai – Capricorn to Cancer.  Ratha Sapthami  symbolically represents the Sun God Surya turning his Ratha (chariot) drawn by seven horses towards northern hemisphere in a north-easterly direction.  

Traditionally in villages, Rangoli kolam is drawn with coloured rice powder depicting Chariot drawn by horses. From today, the days would get warmer, especially in South India. This is an important annual festival at Vaishnavaite temples.  At holy Thirumala, there would be purappadu of Uthsavar  Malaiappar in 7 vahanas as also in Thiruneermalai and Thirumylai Sri Kesava Perumal thirukkovil.  In Kanchi, and other divyadesams -  there will be purappadu in the morning in Surya Prabhai and in the evening Chandra Prabhai. At Thiruvallikkeni, there was Suryaprabhai purappadu this morning.   Here are some photos of the grand purappadu : - 

பெயரும் கருங் கடலே நோக்குமாறு*, ஒண்பூ  

உயரும் கதிரவனே நோக்கும்* -உயிரும்  

தருமனையே நோக்கும் ஒண் தாமரையாள் கேள்வன்*  

ஒருவனையே நோக்கும் உணர்வு.

:  [முதல் திருவந்தாதி – பொய்கைப்பிரான்]  

The rivers flow towards the mighty Ocean; lotus blossoms towards the direction of the Sun; all that is born eventually reach the lord of death ~ for us Srivaishnavaites, the only goal of realisation is the golden feet of the consort of Mahalakshmi -  Sriman Narayana. 

 
~ adiyen Srinivasa dhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan  Sampathkumar
25.1.2026. 

Thiruvallikkeni Ratha Sapthami 2026

 

Today is Ratha Sapthami.  The Sun is the   central star of our solar system, providing the light, heat, and gravitational force essential for life on Earth, driving weather, ocean currents, and photosynthesis, while also holding the planets in orbit and serving as a powerful cultural symbol of life, energy, and divinity 

 

Ratha Saptami is symbolically represented in the form of the sun god Surya turning his ratha drawn by seven horses, with Aruṇa as the charioteer, towards the northern hemisphere, in a north-easterly direction.  The  earth’s inclination towards the sun is the steepest  today.  

Thiruvallikkeni Ratha Sapthami 25.1.2026

Triplicane Vijayadasami parvettai purappadu 2025

 

Sri Parthasarathi Emperuman Vijayadasami parvettai purappadu 2025

 

Sri Parthasarathi Perumal in Aswa vahanam entering Besant Road from Bandala Venugopala Naidu Street, Thiruvallikkeni  – and sthothra padam goshti thuvakkam  2.10.2025  :  https://youtu.be/MhkLle1I3zs

Sri Azhagiya Singar kuthirai vahana yesal 2025

 

திருவல்லிக்கேணி   ஸ்ரீ அழகிய சிங்கர் குதிரை வாகன ஏசல்:

https://youtu.be/ezTn5gXWaF4?si=0X3ek4puduynetsl

Thiruvallikkeni Sri Varadharaja Perumal kuthirai vahanam 2025

Thiruvallikkeni Sri Varadharaja Perumal kuthirai vahanam 2025

 

How famous are you ? – what are your digital footprints ? – do you often dream of becoming a celebrity overnight !! 

 

சிலருக்கு லாட்டரியில் பரிசு விழுகிறது. சிலரை பிரபல டைரக்டர் பஸ் ஸ்டாண்டில் பார்த்து “அடுத்த அமாவாசைக்கு ஷூட்டிங்குக்கு வா” என்கிறார். இப்படித் திடீர் என்று தனிமனிதர்கள் தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப் படுகிறார்கள். ஏதோ ஒரு வகையில் பிரசித்தி பெறுகிறார்கள்.  அம்மாதிரி நானும் பிரசித்தமானேன்.   என தொடங்கிய கதையை படித்து இருப்பீர்கள் !! 

யானைகளுக்கு அடுத்தபடியாக எனக்கு பிடித்தது குதிரை.  திருவல்லிக்கேணி ஸ்ரீபார்த்தசாரதி திருக்கோவிலில் சில வருஷங்களுக்கு முன்னர் வரை எப்போதும் ஒரு வெள்ளை குதிரை இருக்கும்.  ரேஸில் சிறப்பாக ஓடிய குதிரையை கோவிலுக்கு தானம் தந்து விட்டதாக ஒரு கர்ண பரம்பரை செய்தி.  இன்று மெரினா கடற்கரையில் குதிரை சவாரிக்காக சில குதிரைகள் உள்ளன.  சென்னை காவல்துறையில் குதிரை படை ஒன்றும் உண்டு.  

சுமார் 70 அல்லது 80 ஆண்டுகள் முன் கங்கனா  மண்டபம் பகுதியில் ஒரு குதிரை லாயம் உண்டு. அப்போதெல்லாம் ஒவ்வொரு ஊரிலும் இரயில் நிலையங்கள் முன்னர் பல குதிரை வண்டிகள் நின்று பயணம் செய்பவர்களை ஏற்றி செல்லும்.  கடைசியாக மாயவரத்தில் ஆற்று படுகையில் குதிரை வண்டியில் சென்றது ஞாபகம் உள்ளது.   திருவையாற்றில் அம்பி விக்ரம் பாடியது போல முன்னர் எந்த வண்டியும் செல்லவில்லை !!  சென்னை சென்ட்ரல் - பெரியமேடு பகுதியில் பல குதிரைகள், பெரிய வண்டிகள் நின்று இருக்கும் !!  நிற்க, குதிரைகளுக்கு இதிஹாச புராணங்களில், சரித்திரத்தில், பண்டைய போர்களில், மன்னர்கள், வீரர்கள் காலத்தில் சிறப்பான இடம் உண்டு !

In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has been narrated through many works of Greek literature, most notably Homer's Iliad. The core of the Iliad describes a period of four days and two nights in the tenth year of the decade-long siege of Troy; the Odyssey describes the journey home of Odysseus, one of the war's heroes.   

**  Veerasimhan and Sasankan are the sons of a king. When Veerasimhan rides through a village, he meets a local dancer and they fall in love. At the palace, the king decides to abdicate his throne in favour of Veerasimhan. This enrages Sasankan, Veerasimhan's younger brother, who forms a gang of thieves; who embark on a crime spree.   

The horse (Equus ferus caballus) has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years.  Horses' anatomy enables them to make use of speed to escape predators and they have a well-developed sense of balance and a strong fight-or-flight response.  Horses have significant place in history, especially battles and formation of kingdoms. 

North America is home to more horses than any other continent — over 19 million, according to some estimates. For most of human history, however, the Americas had no horses at all.   Archaeological evidence indicates that the genus Equus, which includes horses, donkeys, and zebras, evolved in the western hemisphere between 4 and 4.5 million years ago before spreading to Eurasia, only to disappear during a megafauna extinction event at the end of the Pleistocene.  Eurasia’s horses survived this extinction event, going on to influence the rise — and fall — of numerous civilizations. The genus’ millennia-long trip around the globe concluded in the late 15th century, when European explorers unknowingly returned the domesticated horse to its ancestral home.  

From here, horses went on to change life in the Americas just as they had in Eurasia. They enabled Hernán Cortés and other conquistadores to venture deep into the American heartland, where the animals provided a strategic advantage against the native populations. Horses also played an important role in local post-Columbian economies, which still revolve heavily around ranching.  

Trojan horse, huge hollow wooden horse constructed by the Greeks to gain entrance into Troy during the Trojan War. The horse was built by Epeius, a master carpenter and pugilist. The Greeks, pretending to desert the war, sailed to the nearby island of Tenedos, leaving behind Sinon, who persuaded the Trojans that the horse was an offering to Athena (goddess of war) that would make Troy impregnable. Despite the warnings of Laocoön and Cassandra, the horse was taken inside the city gates. That night Greek warriors emerged from it and opened the gates to let in the returned Greek army. The story is told at length in Book II of the Aeneid and is touched upon in the Odyssey. The term Trojan horse has come to refer to subversion introduced from the outside. Beginning in the late 20th century, the name “Trojan horse” was applied to deceptively benign computer codes that seem like legitimate applications but are written to damage or disrupt a computer’s programming or to steal personal information.  

A Trojan horse, or Trojan, is a type of malicious code or software that looks legitimate but can take control of your computer. A Trojan is designed to damage, disrupt, steal, or in general inflict some other harmful action on your data or network.  A Trojan is sometimes called a Trojan virus or a Trojan horse virus, but that’s a misnomer. Viruses can execute and replicate themselves. A Trojan cannot. A user has to execute Trojans. Even so, Trojan malware and Trojan virus are often used interchangeably.   

In Ponniyin Selvan of Kalki, when Vanthiya Devan is thinking of Nandini, the sounds of galloping horses disturbs his silence. Those flying horses raise a cloud of dust swirling like a mini tornado, and Vanthiyadevan recognizes  Parthiban Pallavan  astride.  

The book ‘History of Vijayanagar’ mentions of inscription discovered at Talugunda, Mysore in AD 1894 containing information about Haritaputrus of Manavyagotra.  A clan Mayurasarma goes to Kanchi, where he gets into dispute about the Pallava horses; is so enraged about the insult that he learns the art of using weapon.   Then there is the Pallava emperor Parameswaravarman 1, who ruled in the latter half of 7th Century ascending the throne after Mahendravarman II.  His reign was marked by revived conflicts with Chalukyas – his horse named ‘Atisaya’s valour’ is reportedly noticed in sculptural representation.  

The story of Veerasimhan  and Sasankan described earlier is -  movie Chandralekha, that made audience spellbound in 1948.  This    historical adventure film was  produced and directed by S. S. Vasan of Gemini Studios. Starring T. R. Rajakumari, M. K. Radha and Ranjan, the film follows two brothers (Veerasimhan and Sasankan) who fight over ruling their father's kingdom and marrying the village dancer, Chandralekha.  In the thrilling climax, huge drums are arranged in rows in front of the palace. Chandralekha joins the dancers, who dance on the drums. Sasankan is impressed with Chandralekha's performance but, unknown to him, Veerasimhan's soldiers are hiding inside the drums. As the dance ends, they rush out and attack Sasankan's men. Veerasimhan confronts Sasankan, and their lengthy sword fight ends with Sasankan's defeat and imprisonment. Veerasimhan releases his parents and becomes the new king, with Chandralekha as his queen.  

முதல் பாராவில் சொல்லப்பட்டது  - அற்புத எழுத்தாளர் சுஜாதாவின் கதை.  அந்த நாயகன் பிரபலமானது - அவரை ஒரு குதிரை கடித்ததால்.   என்னை ஒரு குதிரை கடித்ததால்!  “குதிரையா?” என்று வியப்புடன் கேட்கிறீர்கள் அல்லவா? உங்களுக்குச் சொல்கிறேன். முதலில் என்னைப் பற்றி. அப்புறம் குதிரையைப் பற்றி.  என்பேர் கிருஷ்ண சாமி அதை கிச்சாமி என்று சுருக்கி மனதில் ஒரு பிம்பம் ஏற்படுத்திப் பாருங்கள். அதேதான் நான். தொழில், தோற்றம் என்று எந்த வகையிலும் எனக்குப் பிரத்தியேகம் கிடையாது. தினப்படி காப்பி குடித்து, பேப்பர் படிதது, துணி மடித்து, பஸ் பிடித்து அங்குலம் அங்குலமாக மாயும் மனித எறும்பு. மனைவி, குழநதை, மாமனார், வாடகை வீடு, பாத்ரூமில் பாட்டு, மண் தொட்டியில் ஒன்றிரண்டு மலர்ச்செடிகள், தவணை முறையில் ரேடியோ என்று பிரகாசமற்ற பிரஜைதான் நான். குதிரை கடிக்கும் வரை! குதிரையும் அவ்வளவு பிரசித்தமில்லாத ஜட்கா வண்டிக் குதிரைதான்.

Moving away from all this – 18.5.2024; was day 8 of Sri Varadharajar Brahmothsavam  - at  Thirukachi, lakhs of devotees assemble during this grand brahmothsvam.  At Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam, Sri Varadharaja Perumal was astride   the beautiful gold horse -   and here are some photos of the purappadu at Thiruvallikkeni. 

adiyen Srinivasadhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar.
18.5.2025 

  

ஸ்ரீபார்த்தசாரதி எம்பெருமான் சவாரி பாகை - குதிரை வாஹன பத்தி உலா.

 

செம்மின் முடி திருமாலை விரைந்தடி சேர்மினோ !!

திருவல்லிக்கேணி ஸ்ரீபார்த்தசாரதி எம்பெருமான் சவாரி பாகை

- குதிரை வாஹன பத்தி உலா.

20.4.2025

Swami Emperumanar Vellai Sarruppadi - Kuthirai vahanam 2025

"தஸ்மை ராமானுஜார்யாய நம: பரமயோகினே" ~ we fall at the feet of the Greatest of Acharyas who is hailed as the King of all Sages.   On day 6 of the Thiruvavathara  Uthsavam of Emperumanar (Udayavar / Ramanujar] – it is  kuthirai vahanam. On this uthsavam, every year I have been posting  photos of Swami Ramanujar astride a horse wearing ‘white silken robes’ with melancholy – for it was an event in the life of Emperumanar which made us sad.   This year the post is slightly different !!

 

Can you identify or make out what this picture is about ?  Horses have a great role !  Kallazhagar entering Vaigai on horse is famous, Arangan kuthirai vahana kona oyyali is adorable, Kaliyan adalma entering Thirumanankollai is a great sight but not Swami Emperumanar on a horse – that is more of a melancholic story !!

 

Horses have a preeminent placein mythology, movies and .. .. In Greek mythology, several heroes are closely associated with horses, often depicted as skilled riders and horse-tamers. Achilles, the hero of the Trojan War, is known as the "tamer of horses" and was gifted immortal horses by the Gods; Bellerophon tamed the winged horse Pegasus and used it to defeat the Chimera. Other notable examples include Heracles and his immortal horse Arion, and Poseidon, the god of the sea, horses, and earthquakes. 

Bellerophon ["slayer of Belleros") or Hipponous   was a divine Corinthian hero of Greek mythology, the son of Poseidon and Eurynome, and the foster son of Glaukos. He was "the greatest hero and slayer of monsters, alongside Cadmus and Perseus, before the days of Heracles". Among his greatest feats was killing the Chimera of the Iliad, a monster that Homer depicted with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail: "her breath came out in terrible blasts of burning flame." Bellerophon was also known for capturing and taming the winged horse Pegasus with the help of Athena's charmed bridle, and earning the disfavour of the gods after attempting to ride Pegasus to Mount Olympus.

 

 

War Horse is a  famous  war drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay written by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis that hit the screens in 2011. It is based on Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel of the same name and its 2007 stage adaptation. Set before and during World War I, its plot follows Joey, a bay Irish Hunter horse raised by English teenager Albert as he is bought by the British Army, leading him to encounter various people throughout Europe, in the midst of the war and its tragedies.

Most likely that you have visited our Rajdhani, the National Capital, New Delhi.  You may be surprised to read that for the better part of the 19th century, the main railway route from Madras to Calcutta and Delhi was through Bombay!  The Madras-Bombay mail train carried through carriages between Madras and Manmad which were detached at Daund. Passengers would then be  transferred to the Great Indian Peninsular Railway's Calcutta mail at Manmad to proceed to the northern and the eastern parts of the country.  Then came the Grand Trunk Express .. .. GT Express  ran from 1st Apr 1929   after the construction of the Kazipet-Balharshah section.  As a prestigious train, it was one of the few to have the early methods of air cooling by ice blocks. It also carried a parcel van for urgent consignments.  'Grand Trunk' express commenced operating as two through carriages running between Peshawar in the North Western Railway (British India) and Mangalore in the South Indian Railway. 

Indraprastha ("Plain of Indra" or "City of Indra")  was a flourishing  city of the Kuru Kingdom. It was the capital of the kingdom led by the Pandavas ~ compares to the present day  New Delhi, particularly the Old Fort (Purana Qila) Unlike the Southern parts of India, Delhi has seen much of occupation and wars.  By some accounts Delhi is  known to have been continuously inhabited since 6th  century BC ~ and in most of its history, it has been the capital of many kingdoms, starting from the days of Pandavas when it was Indraprastha.   

Chakrāvarti Yashwant Rao Holkar (1776–1811) also known as Jaswantrao Holkar belonged to the Holkar dynasty of the Maratha Confederacy was the Maharaja of the Indore. He was a gifted military leader and educated in accountancy as well as literate in Persian and Marathi and Urdu. In January 1799, Yashwant Rao Holkar ascended the Holkar throne.  At that time, in  Delhi, the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II had become puppet monarch of his new masters, the British who successfully replaced Marathas after defeating Sindhia. On 8 October 1804, to gain control over the emperor, Holkar marched towards Delhi and attacked the army of Colonel Ochterlony and Berne. The Siege of Delhi (1804) lasted for more than a week. In that siege, the  important gates - Ajmeri Gate, Kashmiri Gate, and Lahori Gate - saw stiff fighting."

Indian First war of Independence too centered around Delhi.  The siege of Delhi in 1857 was from 8^th June till 21^st Sept.   The hard-fought recapture of Delhi by the British army was a decisive moment in the suppression of the 1857–58 Indian Mutiny against British rule. It extinguished Indian dreams of recreating the rule of the Mughal Empire. The rebellion lost its cohesion, allowing the British to defeat any remaining isolated pockets of resistance. 

Because of that uprising, the  city once known for its resplendent culture of mushairas and poets was to be reduced to one strewn with bodies of the dead. From a royal capital, its status was relegated to that of a provincial town. The city recovered itself only after 1911 and more so after Independence.

Had posted many times earlier  at length on the significance of day 6 – Kuthirai vahanam – vellai sarruppadi vaibhavam – of Swami Ramanujar astride a horse wearing white robes - a symbolic tradition when our Great Acharyar dons white garment and is seen without trithandam. Symbolic of the travail and travel that Ramanujar had to undertake donning the dress of a ‘grahastha’ instead of his reverred kashaya.  For a detailed post on ‘vellai sarruppadi’ – do read this :Udayavar Vellai Sarruppadi 

Swami Emperumanar travelled along the course of river Kaveri, went out of Cholanadu adorning white dress and went places traversing Kongu nadu,  reached Thondanur, where he constructed a huge lake; thence reached Melukote (Thirunarayanapuram) in Mandya district, where he performed many religious discourses and brought in disciplined ways of temple management.    More was to happen as Udayavar travelled to Delhi to the Court of Delhi sultan where the uthsava vigraham of "Ramapriyan" had been taken by the invading  muslim ruler. The vigraham (Chelva Pillai)  when invited by Udayavar walked on its own and sat on the lap of Udayavar.

It is our fortune that we are in the lineage of such great Acaryas and have the fortune of worshipping them and reciting the holy works of Azhwar, Acharyas.   At Thiruvallikkeni on day 6 – Sri Udayavar  on kuthirai vahanam wearing white silken robes halts (mandagappadi) at Sri Yadugiri Yathiraja Mutt that is connected to Melukote Thirunarayanapuram.  Here – saffron robes (kashaya Uthareevam) and garlands are offered to Swami Ramanuja. As Melukote is known for the thiruman & sirchurnam  that we adorn (Swami Ramanujar found them in abundance in the hills of Thirunarayanapuram), they  are distributed to Srivaishnavas.  

Swami Emperumanar lived for 12 years at Melukote, administered the temple and did many kainkaryam changing the fortunes of people living in that area. Let us fall at the feet of our Acaryarn.   Here are some photos of Udayavar uthsavam day 6 of date.   

ஸ்ரீமந்  யதீந்த்ர! தவ திவ்யபதாப்ஜஸேவாம்  :  என்றுமழியாத செல்வமுடைய யதிராஜரே அடியேனுக்கு தேவரீருடைய திருவடித்தாமரைகளில் பண்ணும் கைங்கர்யத்தை, அருளவேணும் !!     

ஆழ்வார் எம்பெருமானார் திருவடிகளே சரணம் -

நம் இராமானுஜன் திருவடிகளே சரணம்.

 

அடியேன் ஸ்ரீனிவாசதாசன்

Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar

28.4.2025  

PS :   if you still remember that pic at the start and could not decipher what it is ?  -  it is Bellerophon Taming Pegasus,  an outdoor sculpture by Jacques Lipchitz, depicting Bellerophon and Pegasus. It was the final sculpture worked on by Lipchitz, and was completed after his death in 1973.  The work depicts the human figure of Bellerophon, standing on a high plinth, tying a rope around the neck of the thrashing Pegasus, whose tail, legs and wings splay dramatically around the central figures. It has been interpreted as a representing man taming nature. In the words of the artist, "You observe nature, make conclusions, and from these you make rules… and law is born from that".  It takes inspiration from Lipchitz's earlier work, Birth of the Muses, which depicts Pegasus landing on Mount Olympus.  The sculpture was commissioned by architect Max Abramovitz for Columbia Law School in 1964.  It was cast in bronze at Pietrasanta in Italy, shipped in pieces to be constructed in New York City, and dedicated on November 28, 1977.  It is installed above the west entrance of Jerome Greene Hall on Revson Plaza, on the Columbia University campus in Manhattan.  The 23 ton sculpture measures approximately 30 feet (9.1 m) by 28 feet (8.5 m), and stands on a 27-foot (8.2 m) high pedestal, making it, after the Statue of Liberty, the second-largest metal statue in New York City, as of 2022