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From: Mani Varadarajan (mani_at_be.com)
Date: Mon Oct 14 1996 - 10:38:01 PDT
From: keshava@srirangam.rect.ernet.in
To: Mani Varadarajan <yali!shasta.Stanford.EDU!mani@yali.rect.ernet.in>
Date: Thu, 10 Oct 1996 18:09:55 IST+530
Subject: Re: Hello from Sri Rangam
Dear Mani, thank you for fowarding my message to the group. I have
already received mail from some members. I will be meeting with some
of their relatives here and sending them mail from them.
Could you let the members know that I am a good friend of the Sri
Rangam archakas. Especially Sri Sundara Bhattar who is kindly letting
me use his telephone to connect my modem to. Next week there is going
to be a one day Sudarsana Homa in the thousand pillared Mandapa. And
of course Navaratri begins here on the 13th. Sundara Bhattar is the
chief priest for Navaratri, then the Brahmotsava and Tepotsava this
year. He is well know for his service at Chakratalvar Sannidhi here.
He often arranges for special pujas to be coducted on behalf of
visiting devotees. He is performing pujas and tirumanjanam to Lord
Ranganatha reguarly as well as Ranganayaki, Chakratalvar, Simha
Perumal Koil, and the Woriyur Temple. I have just got through sending
Sudarsana mantras to one devotee in New York via e-mail for him. He
also regularly sends prasadams, yantras, etc, etc. to interested
devotees abroad. If anyone on the list wants to avail themselves of a
chance to worship at any divine functions here please let us know and
we will arrange and send prasadams.
The other day my wife and I visited the Dasavatara sannidhi of
Sri Ahobhila Matha. We had heard so much about it from messages on
your list. The archaka was a very nice man, Laksmi Narasimha (Kannan)
who lives in Uttara St. near to the Ahobhila Matha. He speaks very
good English as he is (Vice?)-Principal of Sri Rangam High School.
The public feeding is going on. They are giving one measure of curd
rice to anyone who comes, morning and evening.
The monsoon just hit here this afternoon, 10th Oct, and east
uttara st was completely flooded. Lord Ranganatha (mula bera) is
undergoing oil bath for one mandala (48 days) which should be over
soon, within the next few days. Lord Ranganatha (utsava) will go on
procession on Vijay Dasami to the Singa Perumal Koil to the east of
the Temple. This is a hunting festival where the Lord going on His
golden horse vahana goes to the Singa Koil. This is one of our
favorite festivals as the Lord while coming out the east gate of the
temple stops at a mandapa in between uttara and chitra streets. There
He stays for some hours while pujas and naivedyams are offered to
Him. The locals come from both streets to get darshana and tirtha,
settari, etc. This mandapa is just across (30 feet) from our front
door. When the Lord reaches the Singa Koil He (an archaka does it for
Him) shoots several arrows from His bow. One of the arrows hits a tree
which is supposed to be a demon in disguise. Thus the demon gets
liberated by the Lord.