‘Vedupari’ held at Srirangam temple

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.