sriperumbudoor,ramaanujaand ,than ugantha thirumeni,,yathirahanathavallathaayaar

r. The shrine of the main deity is thronging with devotees. A smiling Sri Adhikesavaperumal, with his consorts Sreedevi and Bhoodevi, bestows his abundant grace on his devotees. To the right of the main shrine is the sanctum sanctorum of Sri Ramanuja and to the left is Sree Yatirajanathavallithayar. Her name denotes that she is the consort of the master of the king of saints, Yathiraja (Ramanuja). This is the only temple where Goddess Lakshmi has a name attributed to a devotee of the lord. She is a "Varaprasadi", who grants all wishes. The temple has a golden vimana with Sri Ramanuja's image etched on it. Those associated with the temple say this was the first golden vimana in South India, erected in 1912. A copper plate commemorating the event is set on the temple floor, from where one can look up and see the great devotee seated on the vimana.

After the temple visit, we go to the garden adjacent to the place of Sri Ramanuja's birth. Here one can see the utsava murthy of the great teacher. It is said that Ramanuja was so impressed by its likeness to him that he hugged it, passing on all his powers to it. It was, therefore, called the "than ugandha thirumeni"; the body touched by him. The fact that his powers had been conveyed to this vigraha is indicated by two events. First, when the stapathi opened the eye of the vigraha with the chisel, blood came out of the eyes of the teacher, who was then residing far away at Srirangam. When asked why, the preceptor explained that it was because the idol was "himself". Secondly, when the vigraha was sanctified, Ramanuja became weak and shuffled off his mortal coil in a fortnight. This is interpreted as his prana coming to abide in the vigraha at Sriperumbudur.

The idol here is believed to be very powerful and worshipping it will confer all benefits, including Moksha. In fact, in Sriperumbudur, Ramanuja is addressed as "Swamy'. On the festival day, the idol is bejewelled, dressed in glittering robes and carrying a sword, indicating Ramanuja's status as the king of saints. The idol is brought to the garden after the ride in the temple car in the morning. Before the "Thirumanjanam", the jewels and robes are removed and the idol can be seen in all its original glory. It is very difficult to find words to describe the visage and the form of the great saint. His back is shaped like a hooded serpent, flared and vibrant as he was the incarnation of Adisesha. People eagerly wait to see the thirumanjanam and the pushpa pallakku that follows. Devotees from all over have come to see and serve the lord. The locals exude warmth and hospitality even to strangers