Bhagvad Ramanuja has been extolled in various works by giants of our tradition. Sri Vedanta Desika’s Yatiraja Sapthathi and Sri Manavalamamunigal’s Yatiraja Vimsathi to name two. These great songs are in that bumpy northern language full of hard consonants. The song on Udayavar, which mesmerised our Lord, Nam Perumal, the processional deity of Sri Ranganathaswamy temple, Srirangam, called Ramanusa noothrandadi, in nectarine Tamil, was created by the redoubtable Thiruvarangathamudanar at the Kattuazhgasingar koil, the temple of the Handsome Lion of the Woods.
The 18 rahasya granthas, esoteric tomes, by the great Sri Pillai Lokacharya were written seated on the sands in the court of Kattuazhgasingar koil. Sri Manavalamamunigal took the sand from here to his mutt in Srirangam’s south Uttara street, hailing it as the sand that gave birth to great works.
Kattuazhgasingar koil was the HQ , so to say, of that powerful yogi of our tradition, Kuranarayana Jeeyar, who diverted the course of the mighty Kaveri in those days when she was free flowing and not constrained by dams.
Local lore, unproven, says that Kattuazhgasingar koil predates Srirangam, and Sri Lakshmi Nrisimha here, is senior to Sri Ranganatha.
It is one of the strange quirks of the will of our Lord, that this sanctum, just about 2km from SriRanganathaswamy temple, did not get even a single mention in the thousands of hymns sung by the Azhwars.
This temple is to the east of Srirangam and a straight road from the famed white pagoda of SriRanganathaswamy temple leads to a railway crossing, the gate of which closes unpredictably, especially when one is in a hurry! About hundred meters further on , a turn to the right puts us on the path to the temple, about 150mts away.
One can come from the Tiruvanaikoil road junction via a narrow congested road, Nelson road,past the college run by Sri Andavan Ashramam.
There is a marriage hall just to the south of the main gate. Often cacophonous and utterly unmusical Tamil film songs can be heard during the marriage seasons, emanating from this kalyana mandapa. All one can say is that it is a test of one’s temperament, especially one’s power of concentration to meditate on stotras when the Tamil film music is on at full blast.
The walls of the temple enclose a huge area. Near the western entrance is a huge pipal tree, in whose asphyxiating embrace a smaller neem tree can be seen. It reminds one of Hiranyakasipu being completely overpowered by Nrisimha.
To the left of this tree of life, is a mandapa, tall and broad.This is closed on three sides except to the south. It is here that Nam Perumal camps on Vijaya Dasami from pre-noon till evening. Then He fires an arrow at another tree to the south of the pipal and proceeds to His huge fortress like temple to the west.
Just to the east of this mandapa was the govt. run school for archakas where one could see and hear young men without the sacred thread mouthing mantras. There is an open four pillared pavilion from which a paved path leads to the temple. To the left of this wide path is depression which is walled in and has stairs leading down. It is almost always dry.
Near the huge doors of the temple, to the left is a series of taps and a notice that suggests that wouldn’t it be good if one washed one’s feet before entering? We dutifully wash our feet, not forgetting the heels, wary of Kalipurusha waiting to enter.
We enter the shadowy hall and first thing to catch our eye is the dwaja sthamba. It is in this hall that marriages are frequently conducted. The huge columns have massive framed pictures of many Nrisimhas. Ditto on the north and south walls. The most striking is the one of Pannaka Nrisimha with cave like huge gaping mouth on the south wall near the column that has a caged Hanuman at the base.
The south wall has many stotras on it, the most popular one being the one that rids one of debts!
In the south east corner of this hall is a sanctum of Sri Chakrathazhwar, which is actually “bhanga” so the temple official informed us. No aradhana is conducted there. To the east is a big fig tree with navagraha and naga images at its base. The easternmost stone pillar of the hall to the right, has an image of Vinayaka at its base.
From this hall one goes left and has to climb stairs to reach a smaller hall which leads to the main sanctum, to the east. This hall has stairs to the south too. At its western end is a small sanctum for Sri Garudazhwar, in a praying posture. A illuminated sign board with Nrisimha nama stotra is above this small sanctum. The characteristic of this temple is that you can read stotras everywhere. Makes it easy for forgetful one like yours humbly to recite them.
The three walls of this antechamber, have colorful murals on them. Just to the right of the southern stairs is a painting reaching to the ceiling from the floor of a 32 armed Nrisimha called Anda Bahiranda Nrisimha. He has Hiranyakasipu in his lap along with a white bird! Surely not Sarabeshwara!? Above the leonine head one can see the faces of a boar, a monkey, a horse etc. It is almost as if Sri Nrisimha has taken a “viswarupa” cosmic form. One wonders as to what legend it refers to. It reminds one of the 6th paasuram of the peerless Paan Perumal’s Amalanadipiran…Andarandbagirandathu orumanilame ezhumaalvarai…
The next mural shows a flowing river with nine Nrisimhas distributed on either bank. Wonder if it points to Ahobila? The next mural is of Nrisimha emerging from the pillar, which is shown neatly bisected into two. As Sri Desika has sung in his inimitable style the Unborn One was born of a stone column which was then called Brahma’s grand mother, Pitamahi!
The next mural on the west wall is labeled Hiranya Nrisimhan, with Baktha Prahalada’s father on our Lord’s lap. This is followed by a painting of Yoga Nrisimha and last but not least Lakshmi Nrisimha.
Through this small hall we go inwards to the east and a long featureless corridor takes us to the sanctum sanctorum. Right from in front of Garudazhwar’s sanctum Sri Lakshmi Nrisimha grace us with their vision.
There is a small pavilion, mandapa right in front of the s.sanctorum. It is here that we saw for the first time the utsava moorthy, the second lion mentioned in the first line way above. Time for a flash back.
Nrisimha here was named Kattu azhagasingar for a very good reason. This was a jungle and almost the western limit of Srirangam bordering on Tiruvanaikoil, Jambukeshwaram. Access to this temple in times of yore was difficult and lore has it that the big cats were roaming hereabouts. In fact it was Kuranarayana Jeeyar who renovated this temple and by tantra prevented fanatics of another faith from taking over. As of today this temple does not have a utsavar, processional deity. For safety reasons the utsavar was kept in the Sri Kurathazhvan sannidhi just to the east of the Ranga Ranga gopura of the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple, so goes the story. Some say that the magnificent Sri Lakshmi Nrisimha idol in the Sri Kurathazhvan sannidhi is not the utsavar but belongs to that sanctum. So it goes on and on.
The good news is that on the 26th of January 2011 the processional deity will be installed as per the scriptural norms.
We had the good fortune of having our first darshan of Sri Lakshmi Nrisimha – utsavar. The Divine Couple were seated on a small mound of paddy, nellu. From waist up they look remarkably like Sri Ahobila mutt’s Sri Lakshmi Malola. Our Lord has a smile, a toothless one, from one ear to another. Thayar as usual is beauty personified. We wait eagerly for their formal installation.
The main deity of this temple is Sri Lakshmi Nrisimha in a seated posture. Atleast eight feet in height Sri Nrisimha has a smiling countenance and is facing west. He is four armed and has Chakra and Sankha in His upper hands. His big right hand is in the “anjjel” “abhaya”mudra. His right foot rests on a lotus and His left foot is not visible. He has a broad “kantabharanam” – band like necklace. The mandatory Sri medallion can be seen and He has a belt, “udayanam” at His waist. His left lower hand can be seen just outside Thayar’s waist.
Sri Lakshmi is seated on His left thigh and both her feet are visible, placed on a lotus stand. Her right hand is hidden and Her left hand is in a “abhaya mudra”. She is smaller than Her Lord and is lovely. They have crowns on their heads and our Lord’s is huge. They are made for each other(in more ways than one!) and present a beatific vision of unity in duality.
It is this “mithuna” couple that is our “upaya” means and “upeya” goal. All we have to do is surrender unconditionally at their feet, three here. The concept of surrender and service to the Divine Couple can be easily understood in this sanctum. In the great temple to the west we can worship the Divine Couple only once a year, on Panguni Uttiram.
Having had our fill(is that possible?) of this glorious Duo we come out and descend the northern stairs to start the “parikrama” circumambulation. At the north east corner there is a Tulasi garden and at the south east corner, the “madapalli” kitchen. Tasty sarkarai pongal is prepared here. Nrisimha’s favorite “panaka” too is prepared here.
This temple is considered a boon granting one. The crowds on “pradosha” and “swathi” are huge. “Sahasra deepam” during Karthikai attracts humongous crowds.
We complete the parikrama at the base of the flag staff and come out. There are stone benches to rest on before jumping back into the whirlpool of our daily life.
Come one, come all especially after the 26th of January!
Leave a Reply