Bhooloka Vaikuntum --SriRanganathar perumal temple atSrirangam.

 Sri Ranganathar and Ranganayaki Thaayar at Srirangnathar temple at Srirangam.

We were on our annul trip to  the temple town of Srirangam .Had a nice darshan of Ranganayaki thayar and Sri Ranganathar that night,

Next day we were up early bathed and fresh standing outside our hotel which is on the side of the circumbulatory road which is known as Mada street We were informed that the procession of Num perumal -the name of processional deity -will take place shortly at that street.
Women residents of houses were drawing huge kolams on the tar road that had been washed earlier by a vehicle spraying water on the road  so as to clean the route to be  taken by the deity .The women and  young girls seemed adept in dodging the steady flow of vehicles on this street abutting the temple compound and did a wonderful job of drawing intricate designs
We heard crackers being burst at a distance ,heralding  the start  of the procession. As we waited on the road side i amused myself by watching the skirmishes that was taking place between Mynahs and parrots over the ownership of a hole in the tall and thick stone compound  wall of the temple complex .The couple of  mynahs were furiously chasing the couple of  parrots away and succeeded in chasing them away.
Suddenly i saw several  grey coloured water birds gliding over the temple .This sight immediately took me back to Tondaradi podi aazhwars times ,nearly 1200yeras back and i remembered the wonderful hymns barely ten in all ,he had written to awaken Sri Ranganathar at dawn .In one of those poetic and devotional songs he describes swans awakening from their sleep over a bed of flowers at dawn.
I started reciting  the hymns  i know ,savouring the word play of tamil and his absolute devotion .to Sri Rangnathar .
Soon we saw the prabhandha ghoshti viz Tengalai iyengars in groups  reciting the Tamil pasurums/hymns of aazhwars [saints]Then the processional deity of Sri Ranganathar carried on a palanquin came in view followed by another group of iyengars of both sub sects reciting the vedas .We paid obseience to all .

We had to cross the street as the  part of the palanquin  facing us was covered with a gaily coloured shawl.I saw the  tiny golden hued  moorthy -deity .It moved me.So small yet so powerful !Remembered all that he has weathered .His worship being stopped for several years in 11th cent AD owing to  extreme sectarianism of a chozha king .Being spirited away to safety of Tirumala during the invasions from north by rough hordes  in 14 th century.AD .The way he was safe guarded till the invaders left and the tender  manner in which he was and  is worshipped is evidence of total devotion to this deity .

The facial features have flattened down with passage of time.yet he was radiating his irrerasable individuality .The palanquin was covered on one side so as to protect him from hot rays of the sun .It is very hot at Srirangam and he had along trip to make to a distant garden .

The procession passed on after that brief halt.After sometime we visited the temple and had a excellent darshan of Moolavar -presiding deity Sri Ranganathar in reclining form over the  bed  made by the winding black coils of serpent Ananatha,who was also  sheilding Ranga's head by spreading his five hooded heads  ,  i .In here unlike Tirumala one can go very near to Moolavar .His huge ,black and beautiful form is housed in a small but perfectly fitting sanctorium.His eyes were sheathed in gold replicas.The two nacchiars viz Sridevi and Bhoodevi in golden hue --processional deities were giving him company They seemed desolate without the radiant presence of Namperumal amidst them.

We then visitedRanganayaki Thaayars sannidhi  which is separate.There were two moolavars .Both black and beautiful .The thaayar who was behind was exceptionally beautiful so was the processional deity in golden hue .The priest at this sannidhi gave me a small lump of turmeric paste.It was freshly ground and was exuding its unique fragrance.
In all thaayar sannidhis i have visited recently like Sri Vardharaja perumal at Kanchipuram, sri Veeraraghava perumal at Thiruvallur or in here and in other temples we visited later we were given only Turmeric paste .No kumkum.

Whilst walking back to the main gate saw a lot of foreigners[white] walking in groups.Most of them  were wearing plastic covers over their socks.Some were walking barefoot like us.They seemed to be struggling to walk thus though there was cement pavement which was well shaded .Many were old, fat and silver  haired .They were taking photos of sculpters in the out lying mantaps viz the places they are allowed to visit .They are not allowed in the inner complex which only Hindus can enter.
In my recent visit to tirumala i was taken aback on seeing white men and women enter the temple .They were all wearing  the vaishnavaite caste mark on thier forehead and were wearing dhothi and sari .They looked like members of Hare RamaHare Krishna movment.some men  even had a kudumi --small pony tail at back which only Hindus sport .They were rushing in with as much fervour as any of the devotee around .I enquired a priest standing nearby as to how these white persons are allowed in .Aern't they barred from entering .He replied that they were allowed in becuase they have given in writing that they believed in the deity viz Srinivasar and were not visiting the temple for merely sight seeing .

When i saw the foreigners struggling in the hot sun in sri rangam temple , i wondered as to why they should trouble themselves so?Merely for sight seeing?Can thay understand the sacredness of this temple .Would they ever feel that this temple once  resonated with the sweet .poetic and devotional songs of aazhwars and slokas of acharyas as they worshipped Sri Ranganathar?That Tondar adi podi aazhwar walked around the same sands they were treading several centuries back with garlands of flowers framing devotional poetry in his mind ,to be placed on Ranganathars feet?That Kulasekara aazhwar  a King wanted to smear his forhead with deep reverence the  mud that had turned to slush owing to tears shed by devotees .The same soil they and we were walking ?Would they understand or relive the shock and agony that our Acharya Desikan must have felt in 13 -14 th centAD when the sacred premises of this temple where he worshiped daily and wrote beautiful slokas on Sri Ranganathar in which he reminises fondly over this deity being worshipped by Rama, Vibeeshan and aazhwars and acharyas  down the ages ,was  being trampled and ruined by a army of rough hordes in front of his eyes ? They just cannot relate to this temple.so why do they take such a onerous trip?

I myself get tired with the lot of walking one has to do in this huge temple but i have the satisfaction of getting a darshan of Narayana in his archa form and a feeling of continuity with distant past  by  tracing the historical links this temple has in our day to day worship and religion.

After noon we visited a Temple at Vellarai which is 20 kms away .It is a huge temple in a small village.With compounds , pathways and steep steps in solid rock this temple looks more like a fort .There are several legends attached to this temple .That this temple pre dates Rama and was built bt Sivi chakravarthy.That Markendeya rishi received Moksham in a nearby cave.It would take hours to visit  all these places 
This temple has enough space to accomodate more than a1000devotees at a time but there were but a mere handful of us.The priest explained that in some festivals ,1000 's of villagers from sorrounding villages would visit and it became tough managing them all.Though his earnings was poor he didn't want to leave his inherited  right to perform puja .
The presiding deity is Pundarikakshar perumal /.Narayana in sitting position .His eyes were also sheathed in gold replicas.He bears chakre and conch in his dark shoulders, The chakra is known as prayoga chakram hence it is not straight but on its side.Prayoga chakram means that the chakra that Pundarikakshar/Sriman Narayana  is holding is ready to be released to annihilate enemies of his devotees .

 Then we visited another divya desam Karambhanoor/Uthamar koil This small temple has separate sannidhis for Vishnu ,Siva and Brahma and thier consorts..Vishnu is known purushotaman.He is in reclining position Thirumangai aazwar has sung hymns on Purushothaman perumal.Siva is known as Bitchai  andaar as his quest to get rid of Brahmas, fifth head stuck on his palm after severing it was fulfilled here on getting bitchai -almns from Mahalakshmi .
A person was teaching the basics of srivaishnavism to a group of pilgrims .It is said to be  at the order of EO An order in force since last 4 years , to educate each sect of its basic beliefs.
 At night exactly 12 hours later saw the procession of Num perumal on his return in the same street near our hotel.
He was adorned with dazzling diamonds , glittering from top to bottom A silver tree -Kalpaka vriksha or wish yielding heavenly  tree was shading him with its silvery leaves.It was such a dazzling sight  worthy of gods that i couldn't take my eyes off .

Sri Rangam is more or less a concrete jungle now .Swans no longer glide in ponds blooming with lotuses nor are gardens full of fragrant blue coloured flowers nor is the air thick with the scent of  arcenut trees oozing fragrant saps yet the glittering presence of Num perumal turned it into a Bhooloka Vaikuntum