10/14/2016 Srirangam in all its glory ­ The Hindu

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October 13, 2016

Srirangam in all its glory

Charukesi

Through text and pictures, Ramanan and Vrinda highlight the speciality of the temple town. Charukesi turns the pages of history

Architect and still photographer J. Ramanan has accomplished the stupendous task of capturing the exciting moments of the day­to­day
rituals and ceremonies of Bhooloka Vaikuntam – Srirangam, while Vrinda Ramanan has taken care to provide the appropriate text and photo
captions.

When a thematic book ‘Heaven on Earth – the Universe of Kerala’s Guruvayur Temple’ by London based Pepita Seth was released, one
wondered whether a similar attempt could be made to bring out the architectural, sculptural and spiritual splendour of our own Srirangam.
The enterprising couple has done exactly that. The voluminous book transports the reader to the holy shrine to soak in bhakti and reverence
right from the view of Pranavakara Vimanam with the image of Nam Perumal on the front cover to the Vayyali at the Vedupari festival on the
back cover.

There is an interesting background to the origin of the book. Says Vrinda Ramanan in her preface: “Mr. R.T. Chari of Tag Corporation wanted
to present the beauty of this temple to the world through an exhibition of photographs. It was while working on this project that Ramanan
and I decided to publish a book containing photographs and documents.” In a way, the late Srivenugopalan’s ‘Thiruvarangan Ula’ was also a
source of insoirtion.

The book is a treasure trove of articles on Srirangam, the first of the 108 vaishnavite Divya Desams, interspersed with breath­taking pictures.
Dr. Prema Nandakumar’s introductory article informing the reader of a mythological story with the local ruler Dharma Varman requesting
Vibhishana to leave the Lord there, historian Dr. Chitra Madhavan’s description of the historicity of the sacred temple, from Sangam age
literature to the hymns of Azhwars, the link to the Pallava, Pandya, Chola and Hosala Dynasties and Araiyar Bharadwaj’s presentation, and
five articles by Vrinda Ramanan give one the entire gamut of the sacred shrine, highlighting its prime position. It is the only temple which
finds a place in the sacred hymns of all the Azhwars. J. Ramanan’s write­up deals with the architectural dimensions and designs in detail.

A visual treat, the pictures (with captions) capture ecstatic moments of the events associated with the temple. Special mention must be made
of the double­spread bird’s eye view of the temple town, the Rajagopuram seen on a full moon night with the Cauvery in the foreground, Nam
Perumal bedecked and bejewelled, Vedupari Festival, and Sahasra Deepam at Kaatazhagiya Singar Kovil. Writes Vrinda: ‘It was the last
Sunday of Karthigai. The temple, dedicated to Lord Narasimha, was built to ward off elephants from straying in. We decided to take some
pictures. There were few devotees. The Tulasivanam was surrounded by unlit lamps. Ramanan was so excited that we decided to light up the
lamps in the evening to create divine frames of the book. I also requested two of my dance students, Harini and Keerthana, to model for the
photographs...”

“Each festival in Srirangam is of a great significance and the simple and learned populace flock to the temple to participate and receive the
blessings of the Lord,” writes Vrinda. “Since the temple saw an increase in wealth showered by Jata Varma Sundara Pandyan, an order was
issued with the consent of the Lord that the administration should be looked after by ten persons from various communities” she adds.

‘Sacred Temple Srirangam – Bhooloka Vaikuntam,’ a Bala Kala Vidhanam Publication, pays tribute to the Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, for
her splendid measures taken in the renovation of the temple and her inspirational guiding force. Digital prints by Compuprint and image
optimisation by V. Karthik and Suresh Menon, designed by U & I Media, Tiruchi, the magnificently produced coffee table book has been
printed by Sudarshan Graphics. Price not stated.
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10/14/2016 Srirangam in all its glory ­ The Hindu
The Ramanans are trained mountaineers and are working on their next book, ‘The Joy of the Himalaya.’

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