Mangalasasanam () refers to a Vaishnava concept in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

, where a devotee offers their salutations and felicitations upon God due to a profound sense of concern for the latter, and also as an exercise of forgetting their sense of self.

Hymns

The concept of mangalasasanam is often associated with the ''pasurams'' (verses) of the

Alvars The Alvars ( ta, ஆழ்வார், Āḻvār, translit-std=ISO, lit=The Immersed) were the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused ''bhakti'' (devotion) to the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, in their songs of longing, ecstasy, and ...

, who during the early medieval period of

Tamil history The Tamil people, also known as Tamilar ( ta, தமிழர், Tamiḻar, translit-std=ISO, in the singular or ta, தமிழர்கள், Tamiḻarkaḷ, translit-std=ISO, label=none, in the plural), or simply Tamils (), are a Drav ...

(between the 7th and 10th centuries CE), worshipped

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

and his

avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...

s through their hymns. This collection of their hymns is known as the Naalayira Divya Prabhandham. The Sri Vaishnava shrines that were extolled by the Alvars are called the

Divya Desams A Divya Desam or Vaishnava Divya Desam is one of the 108 Vishnu and Lakshmi temples that is mentioned in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, works of the Alvars, the poet-saints of the Sri Vaishnavism, Sri Vaishnava tradition. Of the 108 temples, 10 ...

, where a number of these poet-saints offered their mangalasasanam.

Classification

The below table provides a classification for the mangalasananams offered by the Alvars:

Gallery

Some of the famous Divya Desams the mangalasanams were uttered include the following temples: File:Srirangam rajagopuram.jpg, Srirangam Temple File:Varadharajar3.jpg, Varadaraja Perumal Temple File:Gopuras in Kumbakonam - India.JPG,

Sarangapani Temple Sarangapani Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, located in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the ''Divya Desams'', the 108 temples of Vishnu revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham by the 12 poet saints, or Alwars. This temp ...

Srivilliputhur4.jpg,

Srivilliputhur Srivilliputhur (), is a Municipality in Virudhunagar district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 75,396. The most important landmark of Srivilliputhur is 11-tiered tower structure dedicated to the Vatapat ...

Temple File:AzhagarKovil Madurai.JPG, Azhagar Kovil File:Tirumala temple.JPG,

Tirupathi Venkateshwara Temple Sri Venkateswara Swami Vaari Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared ...

File:Koviladi1.jpg,

Appakkudathaan Perumal Temple Appakkudathaan Perumal Temple or Thirupper Nagar, is a Hindu temple located in Koviladi, a village from Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Vishnu and is one of the ''Divya Desams''the 108 temples of Vishnu revered in Nalayira ...

File:Tirukannapuram10.JPG,

Neelamegha Perumal Temple Neela Megha Perumal Temple or Sowriraja Perumal Temple is a Divyadesam temple in Thirukannapuram, a village in the outskirts of Nagapattinam in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravi ...

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{Famous Vishnu temples Hindu texts