‘Vedupari’ held at Srirangam temple
The Hindu
TIRUCHI
A large number of devotees witnessed ‘Thirumangaimannan Vedupari,’ a holy ritual held on Monday as part of the 22-day Vaikunda Ekadasi festival at Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. The ‘uthsavam’ is held on the eighth day of the ‘Era Pathu’ festival.
The ritual is held to mark the divine blessing of the Lord to Thirumangaimannan who comes and robs the valuables of Lord Narayana and his consort who were disguised as a newly-wed couple decked with jewellery. The Lord revealed himself and initiated the bandit king into the ‘Ashtakshara Mantra’ and thus he became ‘Thirumangai Azhwar.’
This episode is enacted every year as part of the Vaikunda Ekadasi festival at the Srirangam temple. The processional deity, Namperumal, seated on ‘kudhirai Vaahanam’ was brought to the ‘manalveli’ and taken in a fast-paced procession (Vaiyali Vagaira Kandarulal). The deity was thereafter taken to Thousand Pillar Mandapam where rituals were performed in the night before being taken to the sanctum sanctorum.
The Opposition Congress demanded that the government open the Gandhi Vatika Museum, depicting Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and freedom struggle, built at a cost of ₹85 crore in Jaipur’s Central Park last year, during the Congress-led regime in Rajasthan. The museum has not been opened to the public, reportedly because of the administration’s engagements with the State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Almaya Munnettam (Lay People to the Fore), group in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church opposed to the synod-recommended Mass, rejected a circular issued by Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil and apostolic administrator Bosco Puthur on June 9 to implement the unified Mass in the archdiocese from July 3.
Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten stated that “not so great decision making” contributed to his side’s defeat to India in the Group-A T20 World Cup clash here on Sunday. The batting unit came apart in the chase, after being well placed at 72 for two. With 48 runs needed from eight overs, Pakistan found a way to panic and lose. “Maybe not so great decision making,” Kirsten said at the post-match press conference, when asked to explain the loss.