கங்கையில் புனித மாய காவிரி நடுவு பாட்டு * பொங்குநீர் பரந்து பாயும் பூம்பொழிலரங்கந்தன்னுள்*
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This place lies surrounded by river Kaveri which is considered more sacred than
the most sacred Ganges; the greatest Temple for the Lord in reclining posture;
the one who is most benevolent and most affectionate to his Bakthas – Lord
Ranganatha; a mere glimpse of His Lord would ensure that the devotee would
never would want to be away from this holy land.
It is a city by itself …. The glorious Thiruvarangam… 21
Gopurams – 7 prakarams …. ~reverred as ‘The Kovil’ by all Sri Vaishnavaites –
it is ‘Thiruvarangam (Srirangam)’ an island created by Coleroon
[kollidam] and Kaveri.
Thousands of devotees prayed at Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in
Srirangam on Wednesday [9th Sept 2015] and witnessed the consecration of the
sub-shrines and gopurams of the temple.
According to officials, this is the first phase of “samprokshanam” at
the temple when 43 small shrines and 11 gopurams are being performed after renovation. The shrines and gopurams
have undergone extensive renovation over the past 15 months. The consecration
of major shrines, including the presiding deity Lord Ranganatha, Sri
Ranganayaki, and Sri Ramanuja and other shrines will be done during the second
phase soon.
….and
– during and after such renovation works, which are done with many donors vying
to participate, appreciations and awards galore for officials who at times, do
not deserve them. Do read this report
that has appeared in Times of India, of date, Chennai edition on a plea seeking
taking over the temple by ASI, due to the shoddy work that has been made : [the
report is reproduced as it is]
Centuries-old
paintings have been washed out and idols have been “beheaded“ during the
ongoing renovation of Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple in Srirangam, reminding
devotees of Mughul raids on Hindu temples, a PIL filed in the Madras high court
said.
The petition by Srirangam resident Rangarajan Narasimhan wanted the
court to direct the Archaeological Survey of India to take charge of the
administration and maintenance of the ancient temple recognised by Unesco as a
monument of historical and architectural importance. The
first bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T S Sivagnanam,
before which the PIL came up for hearing on Wednesday , said it would be heard
with similar pending petitions. It also asked the petitioner to approach the
high court-appointed committee to present his grievances. The PIL censured a
`partial Samprokshana' ritual conducted at the temple from September 7 to 9,
saying Hindu religious and charitable endowment (HR&CE) department
officials had flouted every possible rule and caused such damage that would
take massive resources and time to restore the sculptures, murals and idols to
their original glory.
First
of all, the Samprokshna was not done for the entire temple, which itself is
without precedence, Narasimhan said. Two idols in front of Sri Kothanda Ramar
Swamy temple have been destroyed, and an idol of Angadhan has been beheaded, he
said. “It reminds one of the past when Mughals invaded India and beheaded many
idols of Hindu gods. The idol of Sukhreevan is demolished, and its remains are
lying on the floor as rubble,“ the PIL said.
Murals
and paintings have been erased as water was sprayed on them at very high speed,
Narasimhan said, adding that beautiful paintings of Ramayana too had been
damaged. “Under the guise of renovation, there cannot be any arbitrary
demolition of mandapams, deities, paintings and structures,“ he said.
Citing
replies obtained under the RTI Act, he said there was no written document
available with the authorities to monitor the course of the renovation and the
process is being done on the whims and fancies of the HR&CE officials.
indeed
makes a poignant reading ! – but do the authorities care !!
