exquisite carvings unearthed at Thiruvarangam

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 at Booloka Vaikuntham [the heavenly abode of Lord Maha Vishnu on this earth....   the great place described by Thondaradipodigal as:

“கங்கையில் புனிதமாய காவிரி நடுவு பாட்டு *  பொங்குநீர் பரந்துபாயும்

பூம்பொழிலரங்கந்தன்னுள்*

-  it is a place  surrounded by river Kaveri, considered more sacred than the most sacred Ganges; the place  flourishes with the new waters of Kaveri having beautiful orchards and abundance of greenery.  A  mere glimpse of  Lord Arangan would ensure that the devotee would never would want to be away from this holy land. 

It is a city by itself …. The glorious Thiruvarangam… 21 Gopurams – 7 prakarams …. ~reverred as ‘The Kovil’ by all Sri Vaishnavaites – an island created by Coleroon [kollidam] and Kaveri.  The Sanctity of a Temple is accorded on the basis of its threefold popularity of the Presiding Deity, the quality of the holy waters and its religiously significant  past. So many acharyas have lived here dedicating themselves in the service of the Lord. A temple sung by 11 Azhwars [mangalasasanam], this temple occupies an area of 156 acres making it the largest temple in India.  Lush green mango groves, banana gardens, Coconut groves, tall fortified walls – all add colour and bring glory  to the island.  It has an historic past of great kingdom and a civilization thousands of years old. It has flourished through various dynasties though the invasion of Malikapur was a dark era. 

Renovation of the temple has been going on and there have been various comments on that …. Today’s The Hindu reports that - :  the  work on clearing the earth all around the wall of a well at Sri Ranganathaswamy temple premises has thrown light on exquisite carvings with stone idols all around the compound.

The compound of the well, located behind the shrine dedicated to Sri Vibhishna Alwar, got silted up over the years. As part of renovation of the temple, the silt all around the compound of the well was cleared by the temple officials. “The beautiful carvings include the images of Tirumangai Alwar, Nammazhwar, holy chakram and conch,” say the temple authorities. The work was taken up carefully in consultation with senior archaeologists, it is stated. The Hindu photo reveals besides Swami Nammalwar, a beautiful Thiruman standing testimony to our Sampradhayam

photo credit : The Hindu

Adiyen Srinivasa dhasan

17^th July 2015.