24th Dec 2012 Vaikunda
Ekadasi
The day of Vaikunta ekadesi dawns
with a constant stream of pilgrims going towards the koil. I woke up at 1am to
the sound of this pilgrimage. I go outside and it is almost like a queue
outside our house and that the crowds have been diverted towards the North and
East gopurams, small kids, elderly people, Youngsters everyone walks towards the koil. Our guests come in at
4am for a cup of coffee and leave for the temple. I make a huge snake kolam and
await my granddaughter’s arrival from Bangalore.
Evening we take her out to the uthara veedhi where there is a line of
shops cropped up, selling trinkets toys flowers ,Big pappads, panju mittai, bindis
of different kinds, it’s a hustle and bustle that Srirangam will see only once
a year.
Excited with her loot of bangles
, bindis and some trinkets my granddaughter comes home with us. We had darshan
of Namperumal in Rathnangi in the thirumamani mandapam in the Ayirangal
mandapam.
This 1000 pillared mandapam is
beautiful, made of stones patched together ,almost sewn together finely. Where
ever one stands one can see the pillars in a line , arranged in a symmetry,
that beats modern architecture. Almost at the centre of this 1000 pillared
mandapam stands a small mandapam called the thirumamani mandapam. This is where
Namperumal ellufies everyday of rapathu
utsavam. The queue stands long and
winding ,we somehow go near and have darshan , It looks as if the Namperumal
has a Vairaangi not rathna angi…this is because a thin Salla shawl is put on Him covering Him. He looks Regal and
kingly, wearing a crown made of
Ratnams ,rubies and a haram with a
diamond pendant. He looks enticing, but stern….it is this quality of
Namperumal that stuns me, somedays He
looks fatherly, with a concern in His
face ,some days He looks amused, other
days He looks very affectionate, and
loving, one day He even looked like a young man. handsome with a moustache
, very stylish, wearing his crown and
belt rakishly.
After this sevai we did not go in
to have darshan.
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