Eri-Katha Raamar Temple is a
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
temple dedicated to
Lord Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being ...
located in the town of
Maduranthakam
Madurantakam () is the southernmost suburb of Chennai city and a municipality in Chengalpattu district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The town is known for the artificial and second largest lake in Tamil Nadu, the Maduranthakam lake. It is ...
,
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
[Dubey 1992, p. 52] This is the ''sthalam'' (place) where Udayavar (the presiding deity) was named
Ramanuja
Ramanuja (Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmanuja; 1017 CE – 1137 CE; ; ), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and a social reformer. He is noted to be one of the most important exponents o ...
. The temple is also known by other names such as - Mathuranthaka Chaturvedi Mangalam, Vaikunda Varthanam, Thirumathurai, Thirumanthira Tirupathi, Karunagara Vilagam.
Thirumalisai Alvar
Tirumalisai Alvar (Born: Bhargavar 4203 BCE - 297 CE) is a Tamil saint revered in the Sri Vaishnavism school of south India, in Tondai Nadu (now part of Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur districts). He was born in 4203 BCE. The legend of this saint de ...
attained
siddhi
In Indian religions, (Sanskrit: '; fulfillment, accomplishment) are material, paranormal, supernatural, or otherwise magical powers, abilities, and attainments that are the products of yogic advancement through sādhanās such as meditation ...
(enlightenment) in this ''sthalam'' (place). Also, Sri
Ramanuja
Ramanuja (Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmanuja; 1017 CE – 1137 CE; ; ), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and a social reformer. He is noted to be one of the most important exponents o ...
r was instructed the ''Pancha Samskara Mantram'' at this place.
History
The temple was built during the
Pallava
The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as fe ...
era, and is estimated to be 1600 years old. The Moolavar (presiding deity) of the temple is
Lord Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being ...
, thus making this one of the oldest temples of lord Rama in South India. The temple has inscriptions indicating generous gifts from
Chola
The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...
king
Parantaka I
Parantaka Chola I (Tamil : பராந்தக சோழன் I) (873 CE–955 CE) was a Chola emperor who ruled for forty-eight years, annexing Pandya by defeating Rajasimhan II. The best part of his reign was marked by increasing success ...
.
The place was once famous during the rule of
Cholas
The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE d ...
who ruled this place as Maduranthaga Chaturvedi Mangalam after the Chola ruler Madurantaga Uttama Chola (973 -85 CE). It is believed that
Gandaraditya
Gandaraditha Chola ( ta, கண்டராதித்த சோழன்) succeeded his father Parantaka I and became the Chola king about 955 CE. He was also a Tamil literary poet in the Thiruvisaippa Palandu.''Epigraphy'', by Archaeological ...
donated the village to the Vedics (Chaturvedi - one who knows all four
vedas
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...
) of the place and hence it came to be known as Chaturvedi Mangalam.
The Temple
The presiding deity of the temple is Rama with his consort
Sita
Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...
and his brother
Lakshmana
Lakshmana ( sa, लक्ष्मण, lit=the fortunate one, translit=Lakṣmaṇa), also spelled as Laxmana, is the younger brother of Rama and his loyalist in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He bears the epithets of Saumitra () and Ramanuja (). ...
. The images are made of stucco as is the case in some of the temples like
Ulagalantha Perumal Temple, Kanchipuram
Ulagalandha Perumal Temple is a temple dedicated to Vishnu located in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the ''Naalayira Divya Prabandham'', the early medieval Tamil ...
. The Moolavar is in a standing position facing east and is around tall.
There are different shrines around the sanctum and one of them is that of Sita who is worshipped as Janakavalli.
[ Madhavan 2007, pp. 85-89]
The Legend of Erikatha Ramar and Janakavalli Thayar of the temple
This temple is situated near the Madhuranthakam lake shore. The temple also houses an image of Karunakaramurthi.
During the period between 1795 and 1799 the Collector of
Chingleput District
Kancheepuram district is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The area comprising the present day Kancheepuram district was earlier a part of Chingleput district. The original Chingleput district was split in 1997 into f ...
was a British officer called Colonel Lionel Blaze. During his collectorship, Blaze had witnessed two breaches to the huge tank. The enormity of the problem can be appreciated only when we know of the massive size of the tank. Having an area of and a depth of , the breaching of the tank following torrential downpour was any official's nightmare. Wanting to take preemptive action in the year 1798 the Collector camped in Madurantakam. During his sojourn the Collector was exploring ways and means to undertake urgent repairs of the breaches if and when they happened. During the course of his inspections, he happened to see a large collection of granite and other stones in the precincts of the Rama temple. The Collector mentioned to his subordinates that these could be put to use in restoration of the bunds. Hearing this the temple priests submitted that the stones were meant for constructing a separate shrine for Janakavalli Thayar and since there was paucity of funds the construction could not commence.
[
Hearing this the Collector is said to have remarked that where was the need for a separate shrine when more urgent work like repairing the bunds was crying for resources. He also asked the priests jestingly as to why the Lord was not able to save the tank each year? The priests replied saying that the Lord was always known to answer a sincere prayer from the heart.][Pollet 1995, p. 85] The rains came and it poured. Within a few days the tank was full to the brim and a breach seemed imminent. That night a worried Collector camped near the tank hoping against hope that the bunds would hold. As he was inspecting, Colonel Blaze saw a miraculous sight. He saw two warriors bearing bow and quiver guarding the bunds. The British officer went on his knees and prayed, for he knew it was none other than Lord Rama and his divine brother Lakshmana
Lakshmana ( sa, लक्ष्मण, lit=the fortunate one, translit=Lakṣmaṇa), also spelled as Laxmana, is the younger brother of Rama and his loyalist in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He bears the epithets of Saumitra () and Ramanuja (). ...
. It was indeed strange that nobody else who was a part of the Collector's retinue saw the Lord. After a while the vision evanesced and the rain stopped. The grateful Collector undertook the building of the shrine for Janakavalli thayar and Lord Rama in the temple came to be known as the Erikatha Ramar (Rama who saved the tank (Eri)). The edict with the Collector's name citing him as a benefactor can be seen even today in the Madurantakam temple.
Ramanujar
This is the place under the Magizha tree, where Sri Ramanuja
Ramanuja (Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmanuja; 1017 CE – 1137 CE; ; ), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and a social reformer. He is noted to be one of the most important exponents o ...
r was given "Pancha Samskaram" (initiation) by his teacher Peria Nambigal, following which Maduranthakam
Madurantakam () is the southernmost suburb of Chennai city and a municipality in Chengalpattu district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The town is known for the artificial and second largest lake in Tamil Nadu, the Maduranthakam lake. It is ...
was given the name "Dvayam Vilindha Tirupathi". As per the legend, upon receiving Kanchi Varadarajar's divine order through Tirukachi Nambi, the Vaishnava saint Ramanuja set forth for Srirangam
Srirangam, is a neighbourhood in the city of Tiruchirappalli in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A river island, Srirangam is bounded by the Kaveri River on one side and its distributary Kollidam on the other side. Considered as the first amon ...
to become the disciple of Peria Nambigal. Peria Nambigal was on his way to Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram ('; ) also known as ''Conjeevaram,'' is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''City of Thousand Temples'', Kanchipuram is known for its temple ...
to install Ramanuja as the successor of Sri Aalanvandar. Ramanuja wanted to meet Periya Nambi and he started from Kanchipuram, while Periya Nambi started from Srirangam. They are believed to have met in Maduranthakam temple, in the lake precincts. In the month of ''Avani'', on the ''Sukla Panchami'', Peria Nambigal gave the ''Samasrayanam'' or ''Pancha Samskaram'' called ''Dvaya Mantropadesam'' (divine syllable). The festival is celebrated every year. Ramanuja is believed to have obtained Pancha Samskaram from Periya Nambi in the four pillared hall around the sanctum. This is the only place where Ramanujar can be seen as a ''Grihastha'' (family man).
The major festival of the temple is the Rama Navami
Rama Navami () is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birthday of Rama, the seventh avatar of the deity Vishnu. people from different parts of Jharkhand attended the world famous international Hazaribagh procession organized in the city every ...
festival, which commemorates the birth of Rama. Ani Brahmostavam celebrated during the Tamil month
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
of ''Aani'' (July - August) and Panchasamskaram festival to commemorate the sanctification of Ramanuja are other major festivals celebrated in the temple.[
]
Transport
Maduranthakam
Madurantakam () is the southernmost suburb of Chennai city and a municipality in Chengalpattu district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The town is known for the artificial and second largest lake in Tamil Nadu, the Maduranthakam lake. It is ...
is on the Trichy-Chennai highway (NH45) at a distance of 89 km from Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
and 25 km from Chengalpattu
Chengalpattu, previously known as Chingleput, is a city and the headquarters of Chengalpattu district of the state Tamil Nadu, India. The town is located near to the industrial and IT hub. It is the headquarters of the district and is away fro ...
. There are several buses travelling to Maduranthakam from Chennai. Maduranthakam also has its own railway station, with suburban trains going towards Melmaruvathur
Melmaruvathur is a town located in Tamil Nadu, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous demo ...
stopping here.
Notes
References
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External links
{{Commons category, Eri-Katha Ramar Temple
* http://www.madhuranthakam.ramanujartemples.net/
Hindu temples in Kanchipuram district
Abhimana temples of Vishnu