Exploring the Divya Desams (The Lord's 108 Divine Abodes)

[Jimano]

Divya Desam

These are the Sri Vaishnava temples that the Alvars (saints) have sung praises (mangalasasanam). There are 108 divya desams and only 106 are in this material world.

As there are a many online sites providing information and images of the divya desams. This topic attempts to provide some rare information on these temples and also explore the less known divya desams.

1) Thiruppullam Boothankudi - Sri Valvil Ramar Perumal Temple, Kumbakonam



This divya desam is situated in Tanjore district Tamil Nadu. 3 miles away from Swami Malai (famous Murugan Temple).

This is where Sri Rama performed the final funeral rites for Jadayu (the Eagle bird). This sthalam takes its name "Pull" from the Eagle clan of Jatayu.

1 and 1/2 Km. from here, is a small village, Mandanggudi which is the birth place of Thondar Adi Podi Alwar.

Mangalasasanam:

Thirumangai Alwar - 10 Paasurams.

More information on this Divya Desam refer

http://www.divyadesamonline.com/hind...udi-temple.asp

[viraajan]

Good Start.

[wrap07]

nice information. I had seen a detailed map in Sri Oppiliappan koil, Kumbakonam. I was also told few of the Divya Desams are in the interiors in and around Kumbakonam. This will be really useful.

[viraajan]

Jimano, you could have started with Srirangam The 1st of 108

[Shakthiprabha.]

Divya Desam

These are the Sri Vaishnava temples that the Alvars (saints) have sung praises (mangalasasanam). There are 108 divya desams and only 106 are in this material world.

There are 108 divya desams in total and two of them are not in this material world. They are Parama padam and ThiruppaRkadal. Other 105 temples are located in India and 1 divya desam is located in Nepal (SaLagramam)

http://www.srivaishnavam.com/divyadesam108/index.html

[P_R]

nice information. I had seen a detailed map in Sri Oppiliappan koil, Kumbakonam. I was also told few of the Divya Desams are in the interiors in and around Kumbakonam. This will be really useful.

Hi Shankar.

I made the trip a few weeks back.

Thiru Adhanoor
Thiru veLLiyangudi
ThiruchchErai
nAchchiyAr kOyil
Nandhipura viNNagaram (a) NathankOvil
Thiru puLLamboothangudi
Thiru kabiththalam
Of course Oppiliappan in Kumbakonam and SarangapAni/ChakrapANi

Will let Jimano proceed with the organized posts...

Apart from that some Siva temples in and around Kumbakonam:
KumbEswarar
Thiruveezhimizhalai
ThirunAgEswaram

[Jimano]

2) Thiruppullanni - Sri Kalyana Jaganatha Perumal Temple


(Temple 4.00 onwards)

This divya desam is located on the Keela Karai Road and on the banks of river Sethu (SethuKarai, Ramanathapuram district).

King Dasaratha is believed to have performed a yagna (fire sacrifice) at this sthalam to beget his four sons. Lord Rama, on His way to Lanka, stopped and worshipped the presiding deity - Adi Jaganatha.

It was here, where Vibhishana (brother of Ravana) took refuge and surrendered to Lord Rama, Who preached saranagati - the doctrine of self surrender.

In the Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya, this episode - Vibhisana's surrender to Lord Rama is held just as important as Arjuna's surrender to Lord Krishna.

Mangalasasanam: Thirumangai alvar - 21 Pasurams

More information on this Divya Desam refer
http://www.divyadesamonline.com/hind...ani-temple.asp

[wrap07]

nice information. I had seen a detailed map in Sri Oppiliappan koil, Kumbakonam. I was also told few of the Divya Desams are in the interiors in and around Kumbakonam. This will be really useful.

Hi Shankar.

I made the trip a few weeks back.

Thiru Adhanoor
Thiru veLLiyangudi
ThiruchchErai
nAchchiyAr kOyil
Nandhipura viNNagaram (a) NathankOvil
Thiru puLLamboothangudi
Thiru kabiththalam
Of course Oppiliappan in Kumbakonam and SarangapAni/ChakrapANi

Will let Jimano proceed with the organized posts...

Apart from that some Siva temples in and around Kumbakonam:
KumbEswarar
Thiruveezhimizhalai
ThirunAgEswaram

hi Prabhuram

nice to know about your trip. great. I had visited some of the temples.

[Jimano]

3) Sri Rangam - Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple (Part 1)

Situated in Trichy on the banks of Kaveri River, this temple played a very significant role in the history and development of Sri Vaisnavism. Of all the 4000 hymns of the Divya Prabandham, Lord Ranganatha has the most hymns dedicated to Him.

About the Temple

Sri Rangam is the largest temple in India. It is the most sacred of all the divya desams. The presiding deity is Lord Ranganatha who is also known as - Nam Perumal (Our Lord) Azhagiya Manavalan (The Handsome Groom).

Sthala Purana from Sri Ranga Mahathmiyam (Legendary History)

The Ranganatha deity was worshipped by Lord Rama. After the war, the deity was gifted to Vibhisana. While on his way back to Lanka, Vibhisana rested on the banks of the Kaveri with the deity. The Lord appeared before Vibhisana saying He had decided to make the place His abode and Vibhisana could come and worship the deity daily. It is said that Vibhisana worships the Lord daily at midnight.

Over time due to disuse, the deity was covered by thick overgrowth in a deep forest. After a long time, a Chola king, accidently discovered the deity and established the Ranganatha temple.

Alvars directly associated with the temple

1) Thondaradippodi Alvar

He maintained a flower garden for making garlands for the Lord in Sri Rangam and composed 55 pasurams on Lord Ranganatha.

2) Thirupana Alvar

Sung exclusively on Lord Ranganatha and later merged with the deity.

3) Kulashekara Alvar

A Chera king, he spent his final days in Sri Rangam. He composed 31 pasurams on Lord Ranganatha and wrote his famous work Mukunda-mala-stotra in Sri Rangam.

4) Thirumangai Alvar

He was responsible for renovating Sri Rangam and erecting the temple walls.

5) Andal, brought up by Peria alvar, She later married Lord Ranganatha. Her composition Varanam Ayiram describes Her marriage to the Lord.

[Jimano]

3) Sri Rangam - Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple (Part 2)

Sri Rangam and the evolution of Sri Vaisnavism

After the Alvars came the acaryas, who were responsible for the developing and safeguarding the Sri Vaisnava tradition. The task undertaken by them were :

a) Collectiong and desseminating the Alvars’ hymns
b) Institutionalising the tradition into a theological system
c) Establishing monasteries and propagating the tradition
b) Countering and defending Sri Vaisnava theology against rivals schools e.g Jains, Buddhists , Advaitins etc.
e) Defending the tradition from destructive forces.

Nathamuni - 9th Century

Nathamuni was a siddha (mystic) and great exponent in yoga. He established the Sri Vaisnava guru parampara (disciplic succession) tradition with Sri Rangam as its spiritual capital.

He codified the Alvars devotional hymns into the Nalayira Divya Prabandam (regarded as Tamil veda). He institutionalised the tradition of reciting the Divya Prabandam in the temples and initiated the Arayar Sevai tradition for the Lord .

Ramanuja - 11th Century

Ramanuja spent most of his life time in Sri Rangam. He further developed Sri Vaisnava theology by writing the Sri Bhasya, commentary of the vedanta sutra refuting Sankara's advaita vedanta.

His other notable task was in the regulation of temple rituals for which Lord Ranganatha honoured him as "udaiyavar" (Who is Ours). He appointed 74 pontiffs (simhathipathis) to propagate the vaisnava faith without any caste or gender based discrimination.

Vedanta Desikan - 13th - 14th Century

Vedanta Desikan period in Sri Rangam was a crucial moment in the history of Sri Vaisnavism. It was during his time that Sri Rangam was attacked by Malik Kafur from the Delhi Sultanate. (1311-1312).

Vedanta Desikan played a key role in saving the deities and the Sri Vaisnava religious texts from destruction.

He saved the "mula" deities in the sanctum sanctorum by covering them with a brick wall. He organised a group under Plllia Lokacarya to bring the "utsava" (ceremonial) deities to a safe location.

Although Sudarsana Suri died during the attack, Vedanta Desikan manage to save Sudarsana Suri's magnum opus - sruta prakasika and his 2 young sons.

Depressed by the destruction caused to Sri Rangam, he composed abhithi sthava praying to Lord Ranganatha to restore the glory of Sri Rangam.

Manavala Mamuni - 15th Century

Like Pillai Lokacarya, Manavala Mamuni too wrote many treatises in Tamil, on the doctrines of Sri Vaisnavism. It was during his time that Sri Rangam once again re-established its primacy as the spiritual capital of Sri Vaisnavism.

To hear Manavala Mamuni's discourse on Namalvar's Tiruvaymoli Lord Ranganatha had all festivals stopped for a year. And at the end of discourse Lord Ranganatha appeared as a young boy and placed the following verse at Manavala Mamuni's feet.

sri sailesa daya paatram dhi-bhaktyaadi gunarnavam
yatindra-pravanam vande ramya-jamatram munim