Thoopul---Sri Vedanta desikans birth place.

The house adjacent to VillakoliPerumal temple at Kanchipuram is the birth place of Sri Desikan,who was a great scholar and Vaishnavaite saint belonging to 14 th century AD.

His contribution to Vaishnavism more specifically in fostering Visishta dwaita philosophy is immense .His importance amongst acharya's is second only to Sri Ramanujar.

Sri Desikan was an erudite Sanskrit scholar and was also very fluent in Tamil.He was an versatile genius. He has to his credit several treatises in Sanskrit as also in Tamil. They have in their fold ,deep philosophy, poetical hymns , essays and innumerable slokas .

Desikan's most famous hymns are those on Srinivasa Perumal at Tirumalai, known as Dayasatakam .

According to the Upanishads the primordial causeless One is full of strength , valour , splendour, knowledge and bliss.It is Sri Desikan's contention that Srinivasa at Tirumala in addition to these auspicious qualities also posses by far the most important quality of all, that of --compassion.

The 108 sloka's of Daya satakam are in praise of this noble and divine nature of god.

The following is the very first hymn.

Parapathye thamkrim : Srinivasanu kambhya|

Ikshoosara sarvanthyeva yanmoorthiya sarkara yidham|

Meaning:

Srinivasa's compassion , which is like a flood of sugar cane juice ,

has condensed and solidified into sugar to form Tirumala hills!

I surrender before these sacred hills!

[Photo:The house where Sri Desikan was born.]