God Dam(n) It, Maduranthakam

As the Vasantha Navarathri draws to a close, any leisurely stroll along the Mada Veedhis (Temple streets) of the Parthasarathi Temple at Thiruvallikeni in Chennai is bound to end up with you staring at posters after posters of the upcoming Upanyasams by celebrated Hari-Katha experts and singers. The entire Iyengar-community around the temple prepares for a week-long series of lectures based on the single most heroic man in their puranas – Sri Raama. This is one time of the year when everyone hurries to get their old dusty copies of the Valmiki Raamayana, Kamba Raamayana or Raamcharitmaanas, for it is Sri Raama Navami, the auspicious day which Purushottama (the Man supreme) chose, to be born into the prestigious Ikshvaaku line. And in celebration of this sacrosanct Hindu holiday, we at kshetrapuranas has come up with yet another juicy story to share with you – a tale which is as ancient as the Raamayana and yet as new as the last century.

The year was 1798 and the monsoons were at their peak. Winds ripped by mercilessly and the roads were flooded with rivulets of cascading water. Visibility was near zero and people were hesitant to wander out, fearing for their safety, but the district collector of the East India Company for the village of Maduranthakam, Colonel Lionel Blaze, was concerned about just one particular menace – the lake of Maduranthakam.

The lake in the village had proved itself to be a severe pain to all the yester-year collectors. Beautiful, though it was by the summer time, it became equally vicious with the arrival of the monsoon rains. Whatever efforts the East India Company took to strengthen the bunds on the banks of the lake proved to be futile. The bund always yielded to the swelling lake and the village was flooded time and again. The waters additionally washed away the roughly built waste weir adjacent to the lake, creating a total wreck. Every year, the villager’s efforts at farming were all reduced to zilch because of this predictable but unpreventable flood.

That year, Blaze decided to be extra careful with the arrangements. He was seriously in need of some quick promotions and what better way to do it than to solve a long-lasting problem. Hence, he decided to camp at the village for some time before the monsoons set in, to supervise over the annual building of the lake bunds. He arrived at the village with his huge army of stonemasons, servants and other workers, well-prepared for the tough monsoon.

The moment he entered the village, Blaze’s eyes immediately fell on the magnificent stone edifice of the Sri Kothanda Raamar temple, rising tall and splendid, soaring above the other buildings. Greatly attracted to the Dravidian architecture, he lost himself in its beauty and wandered into the temple. 

The temple archakaas came running out to welcome the collector into the holy precincts of their temple. “I did not know that such a splendid temple existed in a village under my administration”, he said, his eyes still taking in all the wonders in stone. “Pray, Oh holy men of this temple, do tell me why this temple is here? It is my common knowledge that every temple in India has some interesting legend behind it. What is the story behind this one?”

The head priest was only too delighted to hear the interest expressed by the colonel in knowing about the sthala purana of the temple. He humbly offered a seat to the Colonel and began to narrate the story of Sri Raama’s arrival to this quaint coastal village.

“Eons ago, when Sri Vishnu incarnated on this earth in the human form of Sri Raama, this particular kshetra was a dense forest of Bagula or Magizham trees (Mimusops elengi). Hence, the place is mentioned in our Puranas as Bagulaaranyam or ‘forest of the Bagula trees’. The forest was home to several rishis and munis, who had set up aashramas to perform austere penance and worship without any disturbance. Vipandakar was one such Maharishi who had set up a small place for himself, to perform daily ritual worship to the idols of Sri Karunaakaran, Sri Devi and Bhoodevi, So great was his bhakthi and so powerful was the aura of Sri Karunaakaran, that it drew the exiled prince of Ayodhya, Sri Raama to the spot. Extremely pleased with the rishi’s worship, Raama stayed back for a few hours to perform pooja to Sri Karunaakaran and bless Vipandakar with an opportunity to serve him. However, Raama couldn’t stay any longer because he was on a quest to redeem his kidnapped wife Sita. However, on parting with the Rishi, Raama promised to come back to this place once he had succeeded in rescuing Sita. The Rishi too went back to his penance waiting for the arrival of that glorious day.”  

“Time flew by and the Raama-Raavana war ended with Raama killing Raavana, thus fulfilling his duty on earth. After crowning Vibheeshana as the king of Lanka, Raama mounted the Pushpaka Vimana, the ancient flying chariot that was owned by Raavana, along with Sita and Lakshmana. The Vimana sped northwards towards the capital of Kosala, followed on ground by a loyal herd of Vanaras. They were flying over a dense forest, when the Vimana stopped mid flight, all of a sudden. To everyone’s surprise, it refused to budge even with the Vanaras pushing and pulling it in all directions. It was then that Sri Raama remembered his promise to Vipandakar, and he immediately ordered the Vimana to go down, which it dutifully followed. And so Raama visited Bagulaaranyam again, but this time along with Sita. To Vipandakar’s astonishment and joy, Raama’s Vimana stopped in front of his aashrama. Sri Raama alighted from it and appeared before the Rishi, clutching Sita’s left hand with his right, with Lakshmana by his side. The Rishi went into hysterics of joy at this divine vision and invited the divine couple to stay at his aashrama. Sri Raama, thus stayed with the Rishi for some time and enjoyed his devotion and hospitality to the fullest extent possible and then returned to Ayodhya.”

“After the visit of the divine couple, the place bloomed with happiness and sweetness. The flowers overflowed with nectar and there was eternal spring in the air. To commemorate the sweet visit of the divine couple, the rishis named the place as Maduranthakam. This, Oh Durai, is the legend behind this mesmerizing temple.”

Sri Janakavalli Thaayar

Colonel Blaze listened to the entire story with rapt attention and soon, was totally lost in it. Only when the archakaa finally finished the tale did Blaze come out of his trance-like state. Looking quizzically at all the archakaas, Blaze’s wandering eyes fell on a large stack of uncut granite slabs, piled up against one of the walls. “What are these doing here?” he demanded. The head priest once again spoke out, “We are in the process of building a shrine for the lord’s consort, Sri Janakavalli Thaayar. However due to paucity of funds, we had to stop suddenly. We are sure that She would show us a way out. After all, she was the goddess of wealth incarnate.”

A blazing idea now shaped up in Blaze’s mind. “Oh holy men of my village, I promise to build the new shrine to your Goddess, if your deities can protect the lake from flooding over this year. Is that a deal?” he asked.

The priests looked at each other. They could obviously not say no to such a generous offer. They had nothing to lose after all. Unanimously, they all nodded their heads in agreement. With a curt nod to the priests Colonel Blaze too walked out of the temple, and he had not even had a darshan of the lord. Maybe it was a personal challenge between him and Raama.

The tank bund was soon built in time for the rains, but it was not any stronger than the previously destroyed ones. If the rains were as heavy as they usually were, this one was not going to last even a few days into it. As an extra precaution, Colonel Blaze asked the people to evacuate the village to ensure their safety. So except for a very few staunch devotees, who were totally against abandoning the temple, the other villagers left to visit their families and friends in the neighbouring villages.

The promised winds soon blew up, bringing along with them the dreaded storms. It was worse than ever that year. The storm uprooted trees with surprising ease and hurled them away like ragged dolls. Rains poured down in torrents and the lake began to fill up. Days went by, and the lake slowly started to swell, threatening to flood over.

One night, the rains were particularly terrible. But Colonel Blaze braved the gales to go out, with his attendant holding the umbrella, to look at the state of the lake bund. He had this nagging notion that the bund wouldn’t be able to hold on any further.

The Colonel's vision, Art by Deepak Saagar

 Wading through the waters, the colonel finally reached the banks of the lake. The lake looked terrible - black as death and swelling with every passing moment - it offered the very picture of calamity. But wait, why were there two men walking on the other side of the lake? The villagers had to be absolutely nuts to walk out in this weather. The colonel watched in utter surprise, as the two figures continued to walk along the tank periphery, and then he realised that they did not even look like the villagers. Tall and well built, with crowns on their head, they looked like kings, each holding a bow in one hand and a bunch of arrows in the other. This was definitely the weirdest sight ever. He watched the men as they walked around the lake and then realising the wet state that he was in, the colonel walked back to his dwelling, pondering over the strange sight that he had just beheld and cursing the men who were out at this time in the night.

The next day dawned bright and nice. The rains had ceased and the sun was shining. Colonel Blaze rushed to the lake, and to his complete amazement, he saw that the lake bund had held. At once, he ran to the temple, to tell the priests this happy news. “The village has been saved… The bunds held up… We’ll have a good crop this year…” he shouted over and over again. The priests were immediately affected by the infectious happiness of the Colonel and they invited him to join them in their morning worship. The Colonel was led towards the sanctum by the priests. The doors of the sanctum were closed, as the ritual dressing and adorning of the Lord was in progress. The Colonel patiently waited for them to open, while the priests chanted in some unknown language totally strange to him. 

The bells of the temple tolled and the sanctum doors were thrown open. What a sight met the Colonel’s eyes. Two men, dressed as kings, each bearing a bow and some arrows, accompanied by another woman. There they stood as stone idols, richly decked with garlands and shimmering with jewels. The colonel couldn’t believe it. Weren’t they the men who he had seen the previous night? Weren’t they the total insane villagers whom he had cursed at? 

The Colonel went into hysterics of ecstasy. He couldn’t hide his happiness. With his mouth open wide, he kept staring at the idols of Raama, Sita and Lakshmana, joyous tears running down his cheeks. The priests noticed this and they immediately enquired about his sudden state of joy. The colonel, still reeling from a pleasure attack, explained the happenings of the previous night, and his utter surprise when he had seen the two men being offered worship at the temple.

The priests were only too happy at the turn of events. Amidst tears of joy, they repeatedly assured Colonel Blaze that it was indeed Sri Raama and Lakshmana who had appeared the previous night to protect the lake from flooding. “Durai, it was Raama himself, who had come to prevent the flooding of the lake. You are a fortunate soul, Oh Sir! What we have not achieved over many-many years of devotion and worship, you have achieved within a few days of your stay in Maduranthakam. A miracle indeed, Oh blessed sir, nothing short of a miracle!”

That day, Colonel Blaze left the temple jubilantly, surrounded by the priests, accompanied by shouts of victory. “Victory to Sri Raama!!! Victory to the beloved of Sita!!! Long live Durai Lionel Blaze!!!”

Extremely awed by this miracle, Colonel Blaze kept up his word to the temple archakaas and built the shrine to Janakavalli Thaayar. Even today, the inscriptions outside the shrine reveal the fact that the shrine had been built using the generous contributions of Colonel Lionel Blaze, the Jagirdar of the East India Company. His name also appears on the waste weir that was built adjacent to the lake.

Thus was built the Thaayar shrine at the Maduranthakam temple. Henceforth, the deity at the temple also came to be known as Sri Eri Kaatha Raamar (Raama who protected the lake) in commemoration of the miraculous incident that had been experienced by Colonel Price.

The temple town of Maduranthakam, which acted as the backdrop for this divine drama, is situated 77km south of Chennai and is stunning to behold, with the shimmering lake and the whitewashed temple towers. The temple is small but elegant, with separate shrines for Andaal and Ramanujar apart from the main shrines to Sri Kothanda Raamar and Janakavalli Thaayar. The temple is exalted as an Abhimana Sthalam by the Sri Vaishnavas and has several unique aspects as compared to many of the other Sri Vaishnava temples.

Ramanujar and Periya Nambi

To begin with, the temple town has close ties with Sri Ramanujacharya, the founder of the Sri Vaishnava sampradaya and an incarnation of Adisesha. It was here that he received deeksha (vows of Sanyas) from his Guru Periya Nambi, who performed the Pancha Samskaras to Ramanujar under a Magizham tree within the temple precincts. Ramanujar had actually started from Kanchi on a journey to Sri Rangam, to meet Periya Nambi there and join as his pupil. However, unknown to him, Periya Nambi had already started from Sri Rangam in search of Ramanujar. The Guru and Sishya met at Maduranthakam and Ramanujar insisted on taking his ascetic vows there, citing the uncertainty of human life and death against any postponement in his deeksha. Today, at the Ramanujar Sannidhi in the temple, both Periya Nambi and Ramanujar are present, which is a rare occurrence. Interestingly, unlike other temples, Periya Nambi is depicted to be in a Guru posture, with his hands depicting the Gnana mudra, and Ramanujar is shown as a Sishya, with his hands joint together. Also, this is the only temple where Ramanujar is adorned with white silk as compared to the ochre robes in other shrines, since this was the place where he had prepared himself to severe his ties as a householder. Hence, he is worshipped as a Grihasthi at his shrine, rather than as a Sanyasi, as in other places. Every year, this incident is celebrated on the Shukla Paksha Panchami Thithi in the Tamil month of Avani, when Ramanujar’s deeksha is enacted out under the Magizha tree in the temple compound.

The Chakra and Shankha mudras with Narthana Krishnan

The temple also has in its possession, the emblems of the Sudarshana Chakra, and the Panchajanya Conch, which were used by Periya Nambi to brand Ramanuja on his shoulders, when he took the deeksha. These copper brands were discovered in 1935 during a temple renovation along with a tiny copper idol of Sri Narthana Krishna. This idol is believed to be the personal deity of Periya Nambi and is shown to be in a dancing pose with a ball of butter in one hand. Child-less couplea seek a remedy for their grief by worshipping this idol and rocking him in a specially made silver cradle.

Sri Eri Kaatha Raamar and Sri Karunaakaran

Also, Maduranthakam happens to be the only kshetra where Raama is depicted to be holding the hands of Sita. Usually, in all Raama temples, Sita Devi is shown to be standing a little away from the lord. However, here Sri Raama is shown to be holding the left wrist of Sita with his right arm, just like he had jumped out of the Pushpaka Vimana to give darshan to Vipandakar. The shrine also has a statue of Vipandakar who is seen to be enjoying the presence of the Divine couple.

Interestingly, the temple has two Utsava moorthis – Sri Devi-Bhoodevi-Sametha-Karunaakaran and Sita-Lakshmana-Sametha Sri Kothanda Raamar. In spite of being a temple dedicated to Shri Raama, the primary respects are however offered to Sri Karunaakaran only. During all festivals and processions, it is Karunaakaran who is taken out. It is he who enjoys the marriage celebrations with Janakavalli Thaayar on Panguni Uthiram and with Andaal on Bhogi. Since Karunaakaran was worshipped by Sri Raama himself, this special status is reserved for him at the Maduranthakam temple.

Moreover, the Narasimha shrine at this kshetra is known to be associated with Kambar of the Tamil Raamayana fame. Prior to the staging of the Kamba Raamayanam, Kavi Chakravarthi Kambar went on a pilgrimage tour to various Raama temples in South India. When he came to the Maduranthakam temple, it is reported that he heard the roar of a lion repeatedly at one spot. On looking closely, he was blessed with a darshan of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha. The present day Narasimha shrine was raised on the very spot where it is believed that Sri Narasimha appeared to Kambar. The utsavar goes by the name Prahalada Varadhan and receives special Thirumanjanam and worship on Swathi Nakshatra days. Also, the Chakrathazhwar shrine at the temple is believed to possess tremendous powers, owing to the Yantra which is installed under the deity. Sudarshana Homa is regularly conducted at this shrine for human welfare on Chithirai Nakshatra days.

The glittering Maduranthakam Lake is situated right across the temple with a separate shrine for Anjaneya Swamy on its banks. The lake is so humongous that not many realize that the famous Vedanthangal bird sanctuary is located just on the other side of the lake. The sthala vriksha is of course the Magizham tree and there are plenty of them around, including many in the temple precincts, attesting to the town’s ancient name of Bagulaaranyam.

Raja Gopuram

The temple celebrates its annual Brahmotsavam in Aani and the Thirukkalyana Utsavam in Panguni along with the Raama Navami celebrations. On the seventh day during the Brahmotsavam, the Utsava vigrahas of Raama-Sita-Lakshmana are taken out in a chariot decorated like the Pushpaka Vimana, in memory of Raama’s visit to this kshetra. During the Raama Navami Utsava, the main deity is adorned with five different alankaaras in the course of one day. Famously known as the Panchalankaara Seva, he is adorned with a Pancha Gaccha in the morning, with a single strip of cloth just before noon, with Thiruvabharana and royal jewels at noon, with a diamond crown in the evening and with flowers and a pearl headdress at night. Thousands of devotees flock to the temple on these sacred days to catch a glimpse of the lord, who had once-upon-a-time revealed himself to a British stranger.

The town also makes a good picnic spot with its beautiful lake and serene atmosphere, and many people drive down for just the very same purpose. So when any of you Chennai-ites feel like you could kill a weekend, don’t hesitate to just race down the ECR to this scenic-cum-sacred town. I am sure that you won’t curse me for giving this suggestion.

Finally, winding up for the day, I hope all of you had a very good Raama Navami. May Shri Raama save us from all the floods in our lives just like he had saved the lake from flooding into the tiny hamlet of Maduranthakam.

Cheers and keep yourself tuned in for many more such stories @ kshetrapuranas.

நன்மையும் செல்வமும் நாளும் நல்குமே

திண்மையும் பாவமும் சிதைந்து தேயுமே

சென்மமும் மரணமும் இன்றித் தீருமே

இம்மையே ராமா என்ற இரண்டெழுத்தினால். 

- கவிச் சக்கரவர்த்தி கம்பன்

"All riches and goodness will arrive at our very doors,

 The worst of our sins and our evil will be destroyed,

Gone will be this cycle of birth and death between lives,

If in this world we only utter the two syllables Raa-ma"

-Kavi Chakravarthi Kambar

The Saga of Thulukka Naachiyaar, Melkote Version

For those of you who enjoyed reading my previous post ( Read @ Thulukka Naachiyaar, Sri Rangam ) on the gripping romance of Sri Ranganathar with the darling princess of Alauddin Khilji, well, here is some additional fuel for your fire - the legend of Thulukka Naachiyaar is not restricted to Sri Rangam alone. It is also celebrated at two other places, to mention the very least. Of the two other temples where Thulukka Naachiyaar is held in high esteem, the Abhimaana Stalam of Melkote (also referred to as Thirunarayanapuram) celebrates the legend as an integral part of its sthala purana. Surprisingly, at Melkote, the legend dates from even before the Muslim invasion of Sri Rangam (Circa 1311), way back to the times of the greatest proponent of Visishtadvaitha – Sri Ramanuja.

It was sometime in the early 12^th century (historical records are very hazy about the exact date), and Shaivam flourished in the present day region of Tamil Nadu. Kulottunga Chozhan, the first, was a great Shiva bhaktha - a fanatic even. He scorned at the ‘Ashtaakshara mantra’, disrespected the sacred Basil and even went to the extent of locking down the Govindaraja Perumal shrine at the Shaivite pilgrimage center of Chidambaram. His fanatic devotion blinded his senses and he ended up persecuting many leaders of other religious beliefs, commanding each of them to personally sign a manuscript accepting Shiva as the one true supreme God. Frightened by the nightmares of banishment from the kingdom, excruciating torture, and possible execution, many of them obliged, but not our hero. At the behest of some elders, Sri Ramanuja was promptly scouted out of the kingdom by his dutiful disciples, who then persuaded him to go on a pilgrimage to the shrines of Vishnu outside the Chozha Desa. Ramanuja consented to the wishes of his pupils, and after a few stops, he eventually arrived at Thondanoor (present day Thonnoor/Thondoor). It was here that the Hoysala king, Vittala Deva Raya embraced Sri Vaishnavism and became a disciple of Sri Ramanujar. He was rechristened as Vishnuvardhanan by Ramanujar upon his acceptance in the Shri Vaishnava fold. Later in history, Vishnuvardhanan played a key role in the establishment and the spread of Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya in Southern India. As his greatest contribution to the sect, he built the famous Pancha Narayana temples at Belur, Thondanoor, Talakkadu, Gadag and Melkote respectively. To this day, these shrines play an important role in keeping alive the spirit of Vaishnava Sampradaya in the southern Kannada region.

We will now fast-forward several months to the time when Sri Ramanuja had completed the clearing and re-construction of the ruins of the Cheluva Narayanan temple at Melkote with the help of Vishnuvardhanan (The other legends associated with Melkote deserve a separate post, and will be posted sometime in the near future). The temple was simply breathtaking in its beauty - replete with exquisitely carved sculptures and pleasant architectural surprises - but Sri Ramanujar remained unhappy. He was greatly saddened by the fact that so prominent a temple had no processional deity to be claimed as its own. Every single day he pleaded with Cheluva Narayanan to throw some light on the whereabouts of the long-last Moorthi - and soon enough, the lord obliged.

One night, as Udayavar slept, ThiruNarayanan appeared in his dream as a blinding flash of light and revealed the location of the Utsavar. “Yatiraja, listen closely. The Utsavar of Melkote is no ordinary idol. It was given by Brahmadeva to Sri Rama, who later passed it on to his son Kusha. It eventually came into the ownership of the Chandra Vamsa kings along with the bridal dowry of Kusha’s daughter. Over the eons it was worshipped by Yadushekara Maharaja of the Yadu dynasty, Vasudeva of Mathura and finally by Balarama and Krishna. It was installed at Melkote by Sri Krishna himself. This Ramapriya (the Dear One of Rama) Moorthi of such eminence now lies within the precincts of the Badshahi Palace at Delhi. Bring me back home Ramanuja”, the lord ordered. And then he was gone, as suddenly as he had appeared.

Ramanuja woke up in a sweat, his heart pounding against his rib cage. Slowly, as the gravity of the dream dawned upon him, his shaking palms automatically joined in prayer. Tears streamed freely from his eyes as he recalled the words of Narayana. With his emotions running high, he bowed low to the supreme omnipotent lord and surrendered his acceptance to the lord’s request. “Your every wish is my command, Oh Narayana!”

After making some discreet enquiries, Ramanuja learnt that the idol was taken by the Badshah during his raid of the Melkote temple. Upon hearing this news, he immediately set out for Delhi, on a quest for the idol. Literary works claim that Ramanuja was at least eighty years old at the time he undertook this journey to Delhi. Nothing, but his faith and his deep love for Vaishnava Sampradaya would have given him the mental and physical strength to accomplish this mountainous task. 

At his palace in Delhi, the Sultan extended a warm welcome to Ramanuja in the presence of his assembled court. “Oh elderly person, what may be the purpose of your visit? What do you expect from the Badshah of Hindustan? Ask and it shall be given.”

Ramanuja did not have any desire to beat about the bush. With a few words of pleasantries he came straight to the point of his visit. “Badshah, it is of my understanding that you have the processional idol of Ramapriya from Melkote in your possession. We have now re-consecrated the temple and would like to install the lord in his rightful place. Pray, do return the moorthi to me”, Ramanuja pleaded.

The Badshah looked at this man standing in front of him, withered with age, but shining with a divine splendour that he could not place. He decided not to play his usual games with Ramanuja, and immediately called upon some attendants to take Ramanujar to the gallery, where all the plundered wealth was stored. Highly elated at this immediate response, Ramanuja thanked the Sultan for his prompt action and followed the guards. The attendants led Udayavar to the gallery, where rows upon rows of different idols, jewels and other precious stuff lay scattered. But alas, Ramapriyan was not to be seen anywhere. The blow was just too much to take. Ramanuja was nearly reduced to tears, when suddenly, by divine ordinance, he overheard the guards talking amongst themselves. “Aaah…” “…yes the princess…….” “…An idol…. Four handed, I know…” The banter continued, but Ramanuja stopped midstride.

In the blink of an eye, Ramanuja turned around briskly and started running towards the Anthapuram (Harem). The guards followed, surprise written all over their faces, and they were soon joined in by the astonished Sultan. “Oh no! You think your idol is here, of all the places?” he muttered. But Ramanuja walked on, straight into the princess’ room - and there on the silken bed, covered in gold and silver, sat the pretty princess.

A sigh of relief escaped from Ramanujar’s mouth - spread across the lap of the princess, was the gleaming idol of Ramapriyan. The Badshah was shocked at the sight. “Give the idol at once to this holy man, Laachmaar.” he ordered. But Laachmaar wouldn’t hear any of it. “He is my doll Vaapa. I will not give it back to this old man. He likes being with me. This old man is plotting to separate me from my doll. I will not give him. I WILL NOT GIVE HIM.” And she burst into tears.

Having just witnessed what had taken place before his eyes, Ramanujar was deeply touched by the princess’ true affection for Ramapriyan. But the idol had to go back home. With a smile on his face, he approached the princess. Instinctively, Laachmaar drew away from Ramanuja. “Listen, Oh Laachmaar! You need not give me the idol, but if he comes to me of his own accord, then will you agree that he is not yours alone? Is that a deal?” asked Ramanuja. Laachmaar simply stared back, gaping at the senility of the old man. Surely the idol had no ability to walk on its own. Brimming with confidence, she accepted Ramanuja’s challenge.

Sampathkumaara, Come to me !!! Art by Deepak Saagar

 Several pairs of eyes turned towards him as Ramanujar joined his palms in prayer, “Why are you playing so with our emotions, Oh Lord? Is there no end to your prank? Oh Maadhava, it is time to go home. Test me no further.” Saying so, Ramanujar stood up and with his hands stretched out in front of him, he beckoned to the idol “சம்பத்குமரா, என் செல்வப்பிள்ளையே !!! வாராய். (Oh Sampathkumaara, the greatest of my wealth. Come to me.)”  

To the total astonishment of all the spectators, the idol suddenly flew out from the princess’ grasp. And with quick short moves, his anklets tinkling rhythmically and the flower garlands swaying in the air, Sampathkumaara glided towards Sri Ramanujar. It was like the reunion of a lost son and his father. Ramanujar just scooped up the idol and hugged him closely, shedding tears of joy. And, as the entire court just stood rooted to their spots, Ramanuja left the court with his disciples, the precious idol of Ramapriyan clinging to his bosom.

“Nooooo”, shouted Laachmaar, shocking everyone out of their trance. “I want my doll back Vaapa. I want him back.” She burst into tears once again. The Badshah rushed to her side and tried to comfort her. But nothing doing, Laachmaar cried incessantly. The palace attendants brought out many more idols from the gallery. They brought in other dolls, made in gold and silver, studded with rubies and emeralds, dolls that could laugh and dance, dolls that could sing and play, but only in vain. Laachmaar refused to be separated from Ramapriyan. Her eyes were red from tears and her kohl was all smudged. The Badshah could not see his daughter in such a pitiable state. He finally called on some of his trusted attendants. “Pray, please get the idol from that elderly man. I do not care what you do. Beg, borrow or steal. All I need is that idol”, he ordered.

“I too will go with them Vaapa”, said Laachmaar. The Badshah was shocked to hear this, but Laachmaar remained adamant as ever. Finally, the Badshah gave in to her wish. And off went Laachmaar, in search of her beloved doll, accompanied by the king's attendants.

In the meanwhile, Ramanuja’s palanquin bearers were nearing Melkote, when they got news of Laachmaar’s plans. Immediately, they took a detour into the thick forests bordering Melkote. However, further trouble lay in wait for them. A gang of dacoits mistook the palanquin to be carrying precious cargo and ambushed the travelers. Panicking at the attack, Ramanujar immediately directed the palanquin to a small group of huts that was visible nearby. The huts were inhabited by a group of Pulayas (low-caste tribes). Catching sight of the palanquin and the dacoits, the hut-dwellers immediately sprung into action and launched an attack on the dacoits. A few of them took Ramanujar and the idol of Ramapriyan into the protection of one of their huts. Ramanuja was flooded with waves of relief and gratitude, and breathed freely again. The dacaoits were chased away soon enough, and Ramanujar came out of the hut to thank the Pulayas for their timely help. Suddenly, a small boy came up to him and asked, “Swami, may we know what is in the cloth bundle that you hold so close to your chest?” Ramanujar smiled and slowly opened the bundle to show his precious cargo to the Pulaya group. Ramapriyan emerged, and the Pulayas were spellbound by his presence. They knew not what to do, for never had they been blessed with this sight. Jumping with joy, they rushed into their huts and brought out dishes of Kambankoozhu (a kind of porridge) and Raw Banana curry, which they offered to Ramapriyan. Ramanuja’s heart melted at the sight of their unadulterated devotion.

Selvapillai/Ramapriyan during the Vairamudi Utsavam

Calming the excited crowd, he said, “Come, Oh brothers, to the temple. We will install this Ramapriyan of ours.” The Pulayars were stunned. Never before had they been allowed to enter a temple, and here was this holy man, inviting them to come into one of the most sacred shrines in the region. Silence followed. Ramanujar noticed their hesitation. “Worry not”, he said, “From this day, the world will know you as the protectors of this Ramapriyan. During the many Utsavas at the Thirunarayanan temple, you too will be able to bathe in the Kalyani Pushkarani and have a darshan of Ramapriyan.  For the services that you have extended to me today, you will henceforth go by the name of ‘Thirukkulatthaar’ (the clan of Lakshmi). May your clan multiply and live in prosperity.” Blessing them thus, Ramanujar climbed back onto his palanquin and left for Melkote.

Back at Melkote, Ramanujar performed the ritual installation of Ramapriyan. Special worship was being conducted for the occasion and the celebrations were in full swing, when Laachmaar finally reached the doors of the temple. After these days of hard travel, her hair was all disheveled, her skin was sallow and her eyes had black rings underneath them. She no longer looked like the Sultani of Hindustan, rather just another lost traveler.

Standing at the entrance, she caught sight of her beloved being celebrated by thousands of devotees. He was no longer hers alone. Tears flowed freely from her eyes. She realized that it was all over. Everything had now gone out of her hands. She did not intend to make a fuss about it. Neither did she scream and throw a tantrum, nor did her constant flow of tears stop. Silently, she raised her two hands in prayer. With the very sight of her lord before her eyes, she dropped to the floor. Her soul fled her body and merged with the idol of Ramapriyan.

Beevi Naachiyaar at the feet of Thirunarayanan

When Ramanujar was notified of the happenings, he was so moved by Laachmaar’s love that tears instantly sprang up from his eyes. Though born as a Muslim, with no previous exposure to Sri Vaishnavism, she had totally lost her heart to Madhusoodhana. With his vision, he realized the extraordinary stature that had been achieved by Laachmaar. He himself conducted all the final rites of Laachmaar. He also got a small vigraha of Laachmaar sculpted and installed it at the feet of Thirunarayanan for further ritual worship.

Laachmaar thus came to be honored as an Ubaya Naachiyaar of Melkote Thirunarayanan. Like at Sri Rangam, she is worshipped by the name of Thulukka Naachiyaar.  She is also known variously as Bibi Naachiyaar, Beevi Naachiyaar and Sultani Naachiyaar. Even today, when the Thiruvaradhana is offered at the Melkote sanctum, the priest first waves the lamps before the idol of Beevi Naachiyaar at Thirunarayanan’s feet and then only proceeds to worship Perumal – a very small way to show our respects to a lady, who had thrown away everything, including her religion, to realize her love for the Supreme.

Notes:

1.      Unlike the legend at Sri Rangam, which is supported by ample historical recordings, the Melkote version of  the  legend is not sourced from any historical manuscripts. Much of the information is derived from entries in a Sri Vaishnava Grantha (holy text) known as the “Guru Parampara Prabhavam”. Certain sources also say that Sri Ramanuja was so impressed with Laachmaar's devotion, that he carried the idea back home to Sri Rangam and built a shrine for her at the Ranganathaswamy temple.

2.     Though Thulukka Naachiyaar is worshipped as an idol at Melkote, her face is however, covered with a veil, just like any other respectable Muslim woman. If one observes closely, we can see that her facial features cannot be distinguished distinctly.

3.     On the other hand, Ramanuja’s encounter with the Pulayas is a well cited incident in many historical works. Eight centuries before Gandhi’s acceptance of the Harijans and Periyar’s Vaikom Satyagraha, Ramanujar had performed a similar revolution, which was way ahead of his times.

4.     Thirumaaliruncholai is the other famous temple which acknowledges the legend of Thulukka Naachiyaar. Every year when Azhagar visits Madurai during the Chithirai Thiruvizha, he spends a night at Vandiyur with Thulukka Naachiyaar. Surprisingly, there is no shrine associated with the Naachiyaar at Vandiyur. The birth of this custom can be traced to the early 1300's, when the Muslims of the region welcomed Azhagar into their midst with much fireworks and celebrations every year. Pleased with their hospitality, Azhagar stayed with them for the night and departed for Madurai the next morning. This practice however gradually changed with time and after the 1950 communal riots, Azhagar’s visit to Vandiyur came to be associated with his stay with Thulukka Naachiyaar.

5.   Ever since Ramanujar's encounter with the Badshah at Delhi, the Utsavar Moorthi of Ramapriyan has been lovingly called by the name of 'Selvapillai', just the way Ramanuja had beckoned to him at the Badshahi Palace.