Melukote Ramanujar thirumanjanam 2023

 

Aani thirumanjanam - Swami Emperumanaar

@ Melukote ThiruNarayanapuram 2023

: https://youtu.be/E5GzDLEevoM

mural of Sree Rama Coronation at Thirunarayanapuram

The most beautiful depiction of Sree Rama Pattabhishekam – a joyous occasion for all as described in Valmiki Ramayana. 

The Coronation marked the triumphant return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after his fourteen-year exile and his victory over Ravana. This  takes place at the end of the Yuddha Kanda, specifically detailed in Sarga 128. 

This powerful declaration signifies that not only the kingdom of Ayodhya but the entire Universe celebrated merrily, witnessing Rama's royal consecration. It emphasizes the universal significance of Rama's righteous reign and the jubilation it brings to all of creation. 

राघव! अद्य जगत् त्वाम् अभिषिक्तम् आदित्यम् इव दीप्ततेजसम्।

प्रतपन्तं मध्याह्ने, पश्यतु।। 

Rāghava! adya jagat tvām abhiṣiktam ādityam iva dīpta-tejasam.

Pratapantam madhyāhne, paśyatu.

 

"O Rama! Today, let the world see you, when crowned, like the sun with its glowing splendor, shining brilliantly at noon".

 

A characteristic painting in Thanjavur style adorning the walls of Sri Yadugiri Yathiraja Mutt at Melukote, Thirunarayanapuram taken in 2022. 

Tried enhancing / restoring the image with some Online AI tools, while the picture gets better, the finer details like vivid eyes are not proper.

 
adiyen Srinivasa dhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasa Sampathkumar 

Udayavar at Thondanur !

 

 

Nammi  Iramanusan at Thondanur near Melukote –

  this thirumeni was installed by  His Holiness Sri Sri Yathiraja Jeeyar Swami   

of Thirunarayanapuram – a few years ago !!

*Krishna Rajamudi* ~ Melukote*Sri Cheluva Narana Swami*

 

Pulchritudinous Crown – *Krishna Rajamudi* adorning ethereal beauty

*Sri Cheluva Narana Swami*  – mystic Melukote Thirunarayanapuram.

 

Thiru Nedunthandagam sevakalam at Melukote Thirunarayanapuram

 

 

Thiru Nedunthandagam sevakalam at Melukote Thirunarayanapuram

: - https://youtu.be/HCXbDRWTgAc?si=7NtK5RthUOfuonpB

Melukote Thirunarayanapuram – Krishna Rajamudi uthsavam

 

Thirumozhi sevakalam - Melukote Thirunarayanapuram –

Krishna Rajamudi uthsavam

: 

https://youtu.be/rHoGVEd0fV8?si=AlhEAoGCp_solpEt

Udayavar thiumanujanam at Melukote Thirunarayanapuram 2023

 

Swami Emperumanar – Udayavar thirumanjanam at Melukote Thirunarayanapuram 2023

Sri Parthasarathi Perumal Rajamudi kireedam 2025

 

Thiruvallikkeni Kodai Uthsavam day 4 – 2025 

During this Uthsavam, Sri Parthasarathi Emperuman everyday adorns different kireedams.  Today it was ‘Rajamudi kondai’ – Emperuman adorning this for the first time.  

Here is a collage of  Thiruvallikkeni Sri Parthasarathi and Melukote Thirunarayanapuram Sri Cheluva Narayanar.

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

  

Gopura dharshan by night - Melukote Thiru Narayanapuram

 

Mystic Melukote Thirunarayanapuram

Sri Narasimhar sannathi on the hills – night view

Aippaisi Thirumoolam ~ heralding Periya Jeeyar Uthsavam 2024

அக்டோபர் 18 ஐப்பசி பிறந்தது .. .. சமீபத்திய ஏராளமான மழை பற்றிய அறிவிப்புகள் பொய்த்தாலும் இம்மாதத்தில் நல்ல மழை பொழியும்... சீதோஷ்ணம் மிதமாக இருக்கும்  - மொத்தத்தில் ஒரு சந்தோஷ சூழ்நிலை.

 

We are in the state of extreme Bliss !  - the adjective ‘blissful’ would mean -  Extremely happy; full of joy; experiencing, indicating, causing, or characterized by bliss.  .. ..   the month of Aippaisi   heralds  rains in Tamil Nadu .. .. it is a time of bountiful goodness – Srivaishnavaites are extremely blissful as alongside Deepavali festival comes sarrumurai of Muthal Azhwargal (Thiruvonam, Avittam & sadayam)  and Thirumoolam marks the birth celebrations of our Matchless Acaryar Swami Manavala Mamunigal.  From tomorrow 27.10.2024   starts the glorious 10 day celebrations – Deepavali is on day 5 of the Uthsavam 31.10.2024; Annakkoota uthsavam, the next day and Sarrumurai celebrations (Aippaisi Thirumulam) on Tuesday 5^th Nov 2024.

Rains are very important for all living organisms in this World.  Many a times, we do not understand the importance of rain & water and people tend to waste the precious resource.  Heard of Atacama ? 

The yearly precipitation averaged over the whole Earth is about 100 cm (39 inches), but this is distributed very unevenly. The regions of highest rainfall are found in the equatorial zone and the monsoon area of Southeast Asia.  Italy is bracing for more heavy rainfall after stormy weather hit the country over the weekend, causing floods, damage, and loss of life. The Emilia-Romagna region in the north of the country was worst affected, with the city of Bologna recording more than 160 millimeters of rainfall as extreme conditions that had previously hit central France moved into the area. There were more than 300 fire department incidents recorded in the region, with rivers and streams bursting their banks, cars being washed away, and the army being called in to some regions to help rescue people who had become stranded. Italian news agency ANSA referred to much of the area as "remaining on its knees" after the "widespread devastation" caused by the flooding. It also reported that this was the fourth time Emilia-Romagna had experienced severe flooding in less than 18 months. A previous incident in May 2023 left 17 people dead and caused damage running into billions of euros, with fossil fuel emissions specifically blamed as the cause for the increased incidence of such extreme events. 

Our  neighbouring Pakistan Punjab province   said it has planned artificial rains to mitigate the impact of the smog after Lahore faced an alarming Air Quality Index (AQI) of 394.  The first time it was done was in December 2023 that cloud seeding was done for combating hazardous levels of smog and the project had cost an estimated Rs 350 million.  Lahore was declared the most polluted city in the world on Monday with an alarming AQI of 394. The AQI is a measure of the concentration of various pollutants in the air and an AQI above 100 is considered unhealthy and above 150 “very unhealthy”. 

Miles away, Chile's Atacama Desert, the driest nonpolar desert on Earth, stretches across a roughly 600-mile (1,000 kilometers) tract of land wedged between the coastal Cordillera de la Costa mountain range and the Andes Mountains.  The Atacama is the oldest desert on Earth and has experienced semiarid conditions for roughly the past 150 million years, according to a paper in the November 2018 issue of Nature. Scientists estimate that the desert's inner core has been hyperarid for roughly 15 million years, thanks to a combination of unique geologic and atmospheric conditions in the area.   The desert is speckled with stones that have been carried across the playas by powerful wind gusts.  

ஸ்ரீ வைஷ்ணவம் எனும்  ஆலமரம் தழைக்க இராமானுஜரின் மறு அவதாரமாக தோன்றினவர்  நம் ஆச்சார்யன் ஸ்வாமி  மணவாள மாமுனிகள் ~ அவரது திருவவதாரத்தால் இந்த ஐப்பசி மாசம் சிறப்புற்றது.  மாமுனிகள் மழைச்சாமி - நம் ஆசார்யன் உத்சவத்தில் நல்ல மழை பெய்து நாட்டையே வளப்படுத்தும். 

மழை .. .. மானுடர்க்கு, பயிர்களுக்கும், உயிர்களுக்கும் கோடை மழை.  பூமியின் சுழற்சி காரணமாக காற்று வீசும் திசை சற்றே விலகும். இதன் விளைவு தான் வடகிழக்குப் பருவக் காற்று. வங்கக் கடல் மேலாக வரும் போது அது நிறைய ஈரப்பசையை எடுத்துக்கொண்டு மழை பெய்விக்கிறது.  மழை இல்லாமல் பயிர் இல்லை; மழை பெய்யாவிட்டால் விவசாயம் இல்லை. 

வானின் கொடையே மழை !! மழை வானில் இருந்து நிலத்தில் வீழ்வதைக் குறிக்கும்.   கடலில் இருந்தும் பிற நீர்நிலைகளில் இருந்தும், நீரானது கதிரவனின் வெப்பத்தால் நீராவியாகி மேலெழுந்து சென்று மேகங்களை அடைகின்றது. அப்படி மேலெழுந்து சென்று மேகங்களை அடையும் பொழுது குளிர்வடைந்து நீராக மாறுகின்றது. பின்னர் இந்த நீர்தாங்கிய மேகங்களில் (கார்முகில்களில்) இருந்து நீரானது துளிகளாக, திவலைகளாக பூமியின் மேற்பரப்பில் விழும் போது மழையானது ஏற்படுகிறது. மழை விழும் போது மொத்த நீரும் நிலத்தை அடைவதில்லை. அதில் ஒரு பகுதி நீராவியாகி விடுகிறது. பாலைவனம் போன்ற பகுதிகளில் மொத்த நீரும் ஆவியாகிவிடுவது உண்டு. ஒரு இடத்தில் மழை அதிகமாகப் பெய்யும் காலம், அவ்விடத்திற்குரிய மழைக்காலம். 

தென்மேற்குப் பருவமழை நிறைய மழையை தரும்.   செய்திகளில் கடந்த 24 மணி நேரத்தில் இங்கு 500 மில்லி மீட்டர் மழை அங்கு 300 மில்லி மீட்டர் மழை என்று கூறி கேட்டு இருப்போம்.  வானிலை ஆராய்ச்சி மையங்களில் “Rain gauge” என்று கூறப்படும் மழைமானி கருவி இருக்கும். இதைப் பயன்படுத்தித்தான் மழையை அளந்து, 'இத்தனை மி.மீ. மழை பெய்தது' என்று சொல்கிறார்கள். ஒரு சதுர மீட்டருக்கு, 24 மணிநேர கால அளவில் எவ்வளவு மழை பொழிந்திருக்கிறது என்பதை அதன் மூலம் அறிவார்கள். அதை வைத்து ஒரு குறிப்பிட்ட பகுதியில் எவ்வளவு மழை பெய்தது என்று கணக்கிடுவார்கள்.  

"ஐப்பசியில் அடை மழை" என்று சொல்வார்கள். தமிழ் பஞ்சாங்கம் பற்றித் தெரியாதவர்களுக்கென சொல்வதானால் ஐப்பசி மாதம் என்பது அக்டோபர் மத்தியில் தொடங்கி நவம்பர் மத்தி வரை. ஐப்பசியில் அடை மழை என்று சொல்லப்பட்டாலும் தமிழகத்தில் டிசம்பர் மத்தி வரை மழை நீடிப்பது உண்டு. அதாவது கார்த்திகை முடியும் வரை மழைபெய்ய வாய்ப்பு உண்டு.   இவ்வாறு பருவம் பார்த்து பெய்வதால் தான் விவசாயம் செழிக்கும் நிலத்தடி நீர்மட்டம் உயரும் ஆறு கிணறு குளம் குட்டைகளில் நீர் வளம் பெருகி நல்ல விவசாயம் செய்ய முடியும். 

The eternal place of bliss – the abode of Lord Ranganatha – Thiruvarangam is ‘Periya Kovil’ for devout Srivaishnavaites.   For us everything associated with the reclining Lord Ranganatha is ‘Periya’ (the Big  ~ nonpareil)  ~ the Lord here is Periya Perumal; his consort is Periya Pirattiyar;  the holy bathing [Thirumanjanam] in the month of Aani is ‘Periya Thirumanjanam’ ……….. the Acharyar known as ‘Periya Jeeyar’ is our Swami Manavala Mamunigal who spent a major portion of his life at Thiruvarangam serving the Lord.  

 

Mamunigal (Nam Periya Jeeyar)  is known as ‘Yathindra Pravanar’ arising out of his irresistible attachment to the lotus feet of Sri Ramanujar known as ‘Yatheendrar’.  Sri  Manavala Mamunigal is the incarnation of Adisesha.  He was born in Alwar Thirunagari, Tamilnadu in AD 1370.  At birth he was known as ‘Azhagiya Manavala Perumal Nayanaar’.  Later he was hailed in very many names such as ‘Yatheendra Pravanar’, Ramyajamathru, Saumyajamatru, Visada-Vak-Sikhamani , Varayogi, Varavaramuni and more….. 

For a Srivaishnavaite, Kainkaryam is essential; Selfless and unconditional “kainkaryam i.e., service to Lord” cleanses the soul of the performer. One must adore and be attached to their Acharyan and only the direction of Acharyar will lift us from all earthly evils – and for Us fallen at the feet called ‘Ponnadiyam Sengamalam’ – Swami Manavala Mamunigal will direct us and take us to salvation.  Those of us who try and uphold the ideals of our religion and its cultural heritage, will sure be benfitted as it then becomes the responsibility of Acharya to take care of Sishya's Atma guna poorthi. 

சீரும் சிறப்புமான அய்ப்பசியில் திருமூலம் - நாளை  முதல் பெரிய ஜீயர் ஸ்வாமி மணவாள மாமுனிகள் சாற்றுமுறை வைபவம் துவங்குகிறது.

"அடியார்கள் வாழ,  அரங்க நகர் வாழ,

சடகோபன் தண்தமிழ்நூல் வாழ,

கடல் சூழ்ந்த மன்னுலகம் வாழ,

மணவாள மாமுனியே, இன்னுமொரு நூற்றாண்டிரும்".

 

Hailing the start of Mamunigal uthsavam here is a photo of Mamunigal eedu kalakshepam, birth of ‘Srisailesa thayapathram’ thaniyan and some photos of Swami Manavala Mamunigal at Melukote Thirunarayanapuram taken recently and on earlier visits.

 
adiyen Srinivasa dhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar
26.10.2024. 

Melukote Shri Selva Naranar thiruvanthikappu

 

Melukote Thirunarayanapuram Sri Cheluva Narana Perumal thiruvanthikappu

Guru Paramparai kalakshepam sarrumurai at Melukote

 

குருபரம்பரை - எம்பெருமானார் வைபவம் சாற்றுமுறை - திருநாராயணபுரம் சோளஸிம்ஹபுரம் தொட்டாசார்யர் - பெரியப்பங்கார் திருமாளிகை  

                            

                     

On Sunday, 29th Sept 2024, our Acaryan and sishyas of KKCP descended at Melukote  Shri Cheluva Narayana Swami temple  - it was a grand occasion of sarrumurai of Online kalakshepam - Guru paramparai vaibhavam - Sri U Ve  Sarathy Thothadri Swami.

 

The sarrumurai vaibhavam was right before Emperumanar sannathi at Thirunarayanapuram  - in the presence of Shri U Ve Koil Kanthaadai chandamarutham Yoga Nrusimha swami.

 

The series of kalakshepam by Vanamamalai Sri Sarathi Thotadri had been organized by Koil Kanthadai Chanda Marutham Periyappangar Sishya Sabha and scores of sishyas were present for the sarrumurai in the presence of our Varthamana swami.   

 

Here are some photos of our Acaryan, Barath Swami, Sarathi swami, sishyas and couple of photos of Swami Doddacharya mandapam at Melukote where Sri Cheluvanaranaswami has mandagappadi during Vairamudi brahmothsavam.

 
adiyen Srinivasa dhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar