Thiruvallikkeni
Sri Varadha Raja Perumal
Nachiyar
thirukkola sevai 2025
Sri Varadharajar Sesha vahana purappadu 2025
Sri
Devathi Rajar Brahmothsavam is grandly being conducted at Perumal Kovil
(Thirukachi aka Kanchipuram). Today day 4 of the
uthsavam – Sesha vahanam.
Kanchipuram,
is Saptapuri, one of the seven holiest cities, - mokshapuri, the city of
salvation. One of the country’s oldest continuously inhabited cities,
Kanchipuram was called the city of a thousand temples, and it has more than a
hundred even today. While it will take an eternity to explore all of Kanchi’s
temples we would immediately tend to associate the city with Pallava
kings.
The
Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of
southern India also known as Tondaimandalam. They gained prominence after the
downfall of the Satavahana dynasty. Most of the history that we
read in schools was about the reign of Mahendravarman I (600–630
CE) and Narasimhavarman I (630–668 CE). During their reign, they remained
in constant conflict with both the Chalukyas of Badami in the north, and the
Tamil kingdoms of Chola and Pandyas in the south. The Pallavas were finally
defeated by the Chola ruler Aditya I in the 9th century CE.
The
Pallavas are famous for their patronage of architecture, the finest
example being the Shore Temple, and grand architectural masterpieces at
Mamallapuram. Kancheepuram served as the capital of the Pallava kingdom. The
dynasty left behind magnificent sculptures and temples, and are recognised to
have established the foundations of medieval South Indian architecture. They
developed the Pallava script, from which Grantha ultimately took form. This
script eventually gave rise to several other Southeast Asian scripts such
Khmer. The Chinese traveller Xuanzang visited Kanchipuram during Pallava rule
and extolled their rule.
Of the
many temples of Kanchi, the majestic Vaikunta Perumal Temple dedicated to
Sriman Narayana, is believed to have been built by the Pallava king
Nandivarman II. What’s unusual about this temple is that there are three
sanctums one on top of the other. Lord Vishnu is depicted in seated, reclining
and standing postures in the lowest, middle and upper levels respectively.
The central shrine is surrounded by a passage whose walls are covered
with incredible relief panels and inscriptions about the Pallava dynasty until
the ascent of Nandivarman II to the throne, including the empire’s ongoing
conflict with their rivals, the Chalukyas.
Moving
away from the History that was read in school books, here is something
extracted from the book “Pallavas “ by G Jouveau – Dubreuil, Doctor of Univ of
Paris, Professor, College, Pondicherry, published in 1917 priced at
Rs.2/- .. .. …
The
record found at Mayidavou is written in Prakrit. There are also 2 other
records of same kind – but the other Pallava records are in Sanskrit. One
of these two records that of Hirahadagalli is dated in the 8th year of tehr
eign of Sivaskanda varman, King of Kanchi, who is of the Pallava dynasty and
Bharadvaja gotra and who by this document confirms a gift made by his father
Bappa-deva.
The
Penugonda plates (GO no. 920, 4.8.1914) mention two Pallava kings Simhavarman
and Skandavarman, but the age of these plates is not known. Then there is
the authentic Vayalur inscription which is engraved on a cubical pillar of the
Pallava style and runs round it in the form of a helix. It begins with
the well known series of names : Brahma, Angiras, Brihaspati, Samyu, Bharadwaja,
Drona, Asvathaman, Pallava, Asoka, Harigupta, Aryavarman and then two or 3
names hardly legible and then Kalinda, Byamalla, Ekamalla .. .. after this last
name begins a series of 36 names.
The last
few names are too well known to us : Nandivarman, Simhavarman, Mahendravarman,
Narasimha varman, Parameswara varman. The existence of a King called Virakurcha
is proved by the plate discovered at Darsi. The existence of a king by
name Skandasishya is established by the Tirukkalukkunram
inscription.
Dr Fleet
has assigned the date of about 500A.D to the Penugonda plates, which is the
date we give to (26) Skandavarman, son of (25) Simhavarman who crowned King
Madhava II alias Simhavarman. The name Simhavarman given to a king of the
Western Ganga dynasty shows that Aryavarman, who had been crowned by the
Pallava king had married his daughter and his son Madhava II received the name
of his grandfather, the pallava king Simhavarman. The Vayalar
inscription enables us to believe that Penugonda plates belong to 500
A.D.
The
Velurpalaiyam plates say of Simhavishnu – he quickly seized the country of
Cholas embellishd by the daughter of Kavira [ie., the river Kaveri] whose
ornaments are the forests of paddy (fields) and where (are found) brilliant
groves of areca (palms). From this it would appear that the Chola country
did not belong to the Pallavas before Simhavishnu and it was he who conquered
it.
Moving away
from the heavy dose of history, Sri Varadharajar uthsavam is on at
Thiruvallikkeni too following Thirukachi and today is day 4 – there was Sesha
vahana purappadu in the evening in which it was Nanmukhan thiruvanthathi of
Thirumazhisai azhwar.
எம்பெருமான் ஸ்ரீமன்
நாரணனது பரத்துவத்தை அறுதியிட்டு உரைப்பவர் பக்திசாரர். இதோ இங்கே திருமழிசைப்பிரானின்
நான்முகன் திருவந்தாதி பாசுரம் :
தமராவார் யாவருக்கும்
தாமரை மேலாற்கும்
அமரர்க்கும் ஆடரவர்த்தாற்கும்
- அமரர்கள்
தாள் தாமரை மலர்களிட்டிறைஞ்சி,
மால்வண்ணன்
தாள்தாமரை அடைவோமென்று.
எம்பெருமான் ஸ்ரீமன்
நாரணனே மிகவும் உயர்ந்தவன். அந்த கரியமேனியனான எம்பெருமானுடைய திருவடித்
தாமரைகளில் பல்வேறு மணம் கமழும் புஷ்பங்களை ஸமர்ப்பித்து வணங்கி அத்திருவடித்தாமரைகளையே அடைவோமென்று
பக்தராயிருக்குமவர்கள் - திருநாபிக் கமலத்திற் பிறந்த பிரமனுக்கும், ஆடுகின்ற
ஸர்ப்பங்களை (ஆபரணமாக உடம்பிலே) கட்டிக் கொண்டிருக்கும் சிவனுக்கும், நித்யஸூரிகளுக்கும்
மற்றுமெல்லார்க்கும் மேற்பட்டவராவர். அத்தகைய எம்பெருமானை அனுதினமும் வணங்குவோர்க்கு
எல்லா நலன்களும் தானே அமையும்.
Here are some photos of Sri
Varadharajar Sesha vahana purappadu on day 4 of Devathirajar
uthsavam at Thiruvallikkeni this day.
adiyen Srinivasa dhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar
14.5.2025.
PS: 2022 post of mine
reproduced with latest photos
Thiruvallikkeni
arulicheyal goshti today (14.5.2025)
Post-processed
to look as though a good 60 years ago !
a
beautiful temple in the middle of a waterbody - taken a few years ago -
somewhere near Calcutta
aerial
photo as the plane was about to land !!