Information about temples of India never ceases to amaze me.The intimacy with which God is related to by people is unique to Santana Dharma.
Though the Vedas,one of the sources for Sanatana Dharma,enunciates the Concept of Reality as The One Beyond Attributes , A Principle that is beyond Mind , the worship, the emotional connect of people to God in Hinduism is beyond one’s comprehension, if one is not a practising Hindu. Realising Brahman, The Reality, as A Principle by various practices is Nirguna Aradhana, worshipping It one beyond Attributes,though the term worship is not correct in place of Aradhana.As Dwelling upon A principle that is beyond Attributes is ,it appears to human Mind,a tough proposition, Hinduism suggests the practice of relating to Personal God/ Goddess. This method is called Sabina Aradhana,that is relating to a Personal God,Iswara, with Name, Form and Attributes in Perfection/ In Full measure.The Name and form might be that of reator,sustainer,destroyer,Father,Mother,Lover,Spouse, …That depends on one’s likes . If you can easily connect to Mother, the Concept of God is Mother and all the qualities we find and we expect to find in Mother to our Happiness, those qualities are ascribed to God, in this case,Goddess.The same process applies to other relations as well.One connects to this form emotionally without any mental blocks and rationalisation as reason belongs to mind and not to 💓.One relates to this concept of God easily and strongly. This is the power of Saguna Aradhana. Hindu texts state that this mode of relating to the Reality, is akin to one doing pre Kindergarten before obtaining PhD. One can not get PhD, without kindergarten, though it might look unnecessary after obtaining PhD.Hindus sastras declare that when one relates to Reality through Sabina Archana thus, one would migrate to Nirguna Aradhana, without one realising it. Thus one one Experiences Reality. That is what Matters.
So much the relationship between Man and God is, God is treated with all the attributes of Man and all emotions one undergoes, one’s elations, pains are ascribed to Him and they are celebrated in Temples. This includes The early morning waking up, Brushing up of teeth,taking bath…Not only this, God marries and it is celebrated. Though God is Eternal and Unborn, His Birthday is celebrated.
Thus one finds Festivals in In Indian temples,celebrating these events,called Utsavams.The Utsavams are performed for the idol specially made . This is is different from the Deity in the Sanctum. The Deity in the Sanctum is never moved and the Deity is called Moolavar.Every temple has its festivals.And these Festivals are many, spread over the twelve months of a Year.
Srirangam Festival
The Sri Rangam Temple, the second most Holy Shrine of Sri Vaishnavas, the first being Vaikuntam located celestially,is the second largest temple in the world, next to Angkovat, Cambodia. In terms of being the largest Functioning Temple Srirangam Takes the pride of place.
I shall be writing in detail about Srirangam Temple.
Srirangam celebrates Three Hundred Twenty two Festivals in one Year. I will post about some important festivals of Srirangam in the succeeding post.
Find below details regarding the festival details in Srinrangam, in PDF format. You may download it. This relates year 2019 -2020.However, you can refer it as it contains detailed information on Srirangam Temple, including Individual deities in the temple.This is in Tamil. Am looking for English version. Readers may contribute.
Before I proceed to the article,I would like to inform my readers that I am well
And those who rang me up,sent emails enquiring about my welfare as my articles have not appeared for quite sometime.
Since my return from UK during the last week of May,2019,I have not written much.
My apologies.
And my thanks to those who enquired.
Reason for not posting articles is that I did not feel the urge to write,though I have information for about 470 articles,by way of links,drafts.
As readers know I write when I feel the urge, though,when I read I note,book mark links/information for future reference.
All the articles I have posted till now are those written immediately because of inner compulsion.
Now to the matter at hand.
I have,for quite a few years,meaning to write on Sri Ramanujarcharya,His works,Visishtadvaida,and Azhwars.
Quite a few readers have been asking for it.
However I never got around to writing on this Giant of Bhakthi and Visishtadvaida.
Now for the past few days,I have been constantly thinking on Thulukka Nachiar,Muslim Devotee of Lord Vishnu as Lord Ranganatha, SRI Rangam.
Thulukka Nachiar at Melkote Vishnu’s feet
The term Nachiar is very special in Tamil.
In social traditions now,the term is used to denote the Lady of the house belonging to Thevar Community.
The are, mostly ,are Saivaites.
In Sri Vaishnava Tradition,the Term Nachiar is used to denote Consort of Lord Vishnu, though Lakshmi is generally addressed as Thayaar,Mother.
Andal,a great Saint and one of the Twelve Azhwars,is called Kodhai Nachiar.
And Thulukka Nachiar,meaning Muslim Consort( literal meaning)
She is referred in Sri Rangam temple and special offerings are made to Her.
Those who know Hinduism and Sanatana Dharma are aware that Reality does not distinguish between people,based on Religion,Race or Creed,just as,say Gravity,Air,water,fire,air,land,Ether.
Though Reality IS A principle to be realised,Vedas understand that the process of medicating or focussing on an abstract principle is difficult and only a gifted few with right disposition and perseverance can follow the Path of NirgunaUpasna.
So worship of Personal God as sanctioned in Sanatana Dharma as a first step.
This is called Saguna Aaradhana.
For more on this,please Google Saguna Nirguna +ramanan50.
Even then ,I felt that the issue of Thulukka Nachiar was not proper,in the sense that it goes against established Agamas.
I researched.
My thinking was wrong.
And I need to evolve while thinking on our traditions,though I have the highest regard for them.
As a matter of record, my site is dedicated to Sanatana Dharma.
I am happy that I am proved wrong in that,in the ultimate analysis what matters is the experience of Godhood,Reality,than established procedures .
And true devotion supercedes everything else,even if be Sruthi.
For Sruthi is nothing but a collation of Experiences of Seers,Rishis.
Did Thulukka Nachiar exist or is it an imagination of a fertile mind?
Thulukka Nachiar did exist,though it needs painstaking hunt to find the historical information.
She was the daughter of Masood,The Third, of Ghazanvi Dynasty.
He ruled between 1099- 1115 AD.
The name of his daughter ,Beevi.
This painstaking research was published in Ramanujan,A magazine devoted to Sri Vaishnavam.
Masood III ruled from Lahore.
He invaded India and reached till Sri Rangam.
And he took away the Idol of Ranganatha.
There is a controversy over this issue of Thulukka Nachayar. The information on Tulukka Nachayar is found in Sri Rangam Temple records,Koil Ozhuku. கோவில் ஒழுகு.References are also found in Sri Ramnujar Magazine,which contains information. Confirming Tulukka Nachayar and Ghazni. One of my readers has been asking me for the Magazine Ramnujar which contains the information on Tulukka Nachayar and Ghazni. I came upon the information yesterday in a Facebook post and I am sharing the image below.
Information on Tulukka Nachayar and Ghazni in Ramnujar Magazine. In Tamil. Source. Facebook.
There are two versions.
‘There are 2 different versions of the story – that at the time of Srimad Ramanujacharya, after Sri Ramanuja dug up and found the moolavar at Melkote Thirunarayanapuram, he was feeling sad over not having found the matching urchavar for Sriman Narayana. At this, Sriman Narayana is said to have appeared at a dream of Srimad Ramanujacharya and told him about his whereabouts in Delhi with the daughter of the sultan. Thereupon, Srimad Ramanujacharya set out for Delhi and spoke to the sultan, who after being convinced of Srimad Ramanujacharya’s devinity (Sri Ramanuja actually told the sultan the vigraha is with his daughter which no one else knew) showed him the inner chambers of his daughter. Then Srimad Ramanujacharya is said to have called out to the idol and the idol is said to have “run away” to the great saint’s lap. Thereafter which the young daughter who had fallen in love with the Ranganatha idol also followed the idol suit to Melkote where she merged with the idol.
‘கஜினி படையெட்டுப்பு பொ.ஆ.பி. 1001 பஞ்சாபில் ஜயபாலனை வென்றது. (the oxford history of India by win cat A.Smith Cie 1921) 1019 கானோஜ் பிடிபட்டது 1024 – 25ல் சோம்நாத் சிவன் கோயில் இடிக்கப்படுகிறது, 1030 கஜினி இறந்துவிடுகிறான். அதன் பின் முதல் மசூத் (1030-41) முகமது (1941), மதூத் 1041-1048,இரண்டாம் மசூத் (1048), அலி (1048-1049),அப்துல் ரஜீத் 1049-52), தோகுமூல் 1052-53, பரூக் ஜாத் 1053-59, இப்ராஹீம் 1059-1099, மூன்றாம் மசூத் (1099- 1115) மூன்றாம் மசூத் தலைநகர் லாகூர், மூன்றாம் மசூத்தின் பெண்ணின் பெயர் பீவி... என். ஜீயபங்கார் என்னும் சரித்திர தேர்ச்சிபெற்றவரின் ஆதாரங்களை கொண்டு ஸ்ரீ ராமானுஜன் இதழ் வெளியிட்டுள்ள கருத்துக்கள்.. ஸ்ரீ ராமானுஜரின் காலம் (பொது ஆண்டுக்கு பின் அதாவது (கிபி)1013- 1137) “நாம் கிருஸ்து பிறந்த பின், முன் என பதிவு செய்வதில்லை”. ஸ்ரீ ராமானுஜர் அவதாரகாலத்தினை பற்றி எந்த கருத்து வேறுபாடும் இல்லை... 1097 -1100 காலத்தில் டெல்லியை உள்ளடக்கிய கசானாவிட் முஸ்லீம்கள் ஆட்சி கீழ் வந்துவிட்டது. ஸ்ரீ ராமானுஜம் பத்ரிகையில் என். ஜீயபங்கார் தந்த தகவலினை Wikipediaஉறுதி செய்கிறது தேவையெனில் Ghazanavit என பதிவுசெய்து பார்க்கவும்.Reference and citations.
Until 1099, Ebrāhīm was the ruler from Ghazni. Masud III who took the reign after him seemed to have made some successful raids in North India and taken back the spoils of war and temple-loots to Ghazna to construct palaces and gardens[xvii]. It was only after the death of Masud III in 1115, the dynasty had become weak. It looks that the cache of loot had remained within Delhi and not yet moved to Ghazni for a long time during Ebrāhīm’s reign. Ebrāhīm who was in power for 40 years until 1099 was focused on retaining the territories with friendly treaties as his reign is characterised as “ a period of comparative tranquillity for the empire, deriving from the stability and prosperity attained by Ebrāhīm’s restraint and sagacity..”[xviii]
Looking at these features, it looks certain that the temple-loots and spoils of war were dumped for quite a few decades in places like Delhi which the Ghaznavids still held under their control through their commanders. After Masud III took over the scenario changed, but Ramanuja was quick enough in reaching over to Delhi which coincided with the reign-change at Ghazni. Ramanuja had met the commander at Delhi and not the emperor of Ghazni…
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