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VISIT TO RANGJI MANDIR, VRINDAVAN

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V.Srimahavishnu • February 2, 1999 


  SrI ranganAtha ParabrahmaNE namah.  
 Dear BhAgavatas,
             Please accept adiyEn's praNAmams.I would like to write about
our trip to RangjI mandir,Vrindavan(U.P).It is the only temple in N India 
where our JIyars and other AchAryas used to take TIrtha prasAdas before
the construction of a number of temples by ahObilam mutt,SrImad Andavan
ASramam and VaikhAnasa samAjam (A.P).I and three of my friends in the
campus went there on the day of SrI JayantI(Sept 13, 97).It is a very nice
temple strictly adhered to our sampradAyam and one of the biggest temples
in N India.We prostrated before the DharmakartA and sthAnAchAriar
U.VE.SrImAn Govardhan Rangachary "BadE swAmIjI" and had his
blessings.Limited accommodation is available for SrIVaishNavas in their
guesthouse and we availed that facility. 
         One of the svAmIs who had come from Nellore to perform a hOmam
proudly claimed that all people doing Kainkaryams of VEda and Divya
prabandha pArAyaNam in the temple are samASrEtAs (unlike in TiruvEngadam
where non-VaishNavas are also employed by the authorities to do the former
kainkaryam).We attended that hOmam(sudarSana) and Tirumanjanam to arangan
and AndAL.During Tirumanjanam they recited panchasUktas and a few
pASurams(may be nIrAttam) and swAmIjI recited a few things in maNi
pravALam quite similar to what U.VE SrImAn Sadagopan wrote in his postings
on Tirumanjana kAttiyam at oppliappan kOil in Oct or so.We could not
attend the Tirumanjana KAttiyam to be performed to Kutti KaNNan in the
night, for we booked our tickets  for the evening train in Mathura.
         There is  arangan in standing
position with SrIdEvI and Garudar in the sanctum-sanctorum.The various
upAlayas include those of TiruvEngadamudaiyAn,YOganarasimhar and
ChakrattALwAr standing bact-to-back as in VaradarAja perumAL kOil in the
JIyangArs' temple in Titupati,and temples of ALwArs and AchAryars as per
PAncharAtra Agamam.we expected many bhAgavatas from different places like
Delhi,Agra,and Mathura to attend the Jayantyutsavam but couldnt see any.
       The sthala purANam of the temple as told by the swAmI himself and
as per what I read in "Jin kA main kritagna hoon" by Rahul Sankrityayan is
as follows:
 An ancestor of svAmIjI was from KAnchIpuram(if i am not wrong).He 
built an ASramam at Vrindavan and settled there.He had a disciple
Lakshmichand Seth by name.The sethjI was not having any children and
approached his gurujI for an upAyam.He advised him to construct a temple
for SrI ranganAthan and the seth did so.soon he had an issue by His
grace. It was constructed some 150 yrs
ago and in those days the construction cost was around 45 lakh Rs..The
dhvaja sthambam is wrapped in gold like in TiruvEngadam and the perumAL
is a rich BhagavAn.The svAmIjI became the first DharmakartA and
sthAnAchAryar and these two resposibilities are taken up by his successors
for generations.They have initiated many N Indians into SrI VaishNavam.The
dharmapatnI of the present svAmIjI happens to be the daughter's daughter
of H.H.SrImAn P B aNNangarAchArya svAmI. 
 I request all bhAgavatas to visit this  "vada arangam" whenever possible.
                                 SrI VEnkatESa charaNau SaraNam prapadyE   
                                          adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan
                                              V.Srimahavishnu   
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