March 21 , 2005 is an EkAdasi
day , when the devout fast all
day . It is also
a day of feasting for the
eyes of almost two laks
of devotees of Seluva
Naarayana , the presiding deity of the
ancient
temple at the sleepy town of
Melkote . These devotees assemble
at
Melkote
known also
as Thirunarayana Puram on this
day
for having the darsan
of their Lord
adorning the legendary
diamond-studded crown ,
the Vaira Mudi . Seluva Narayana adorns
this
ancient crown presented by
Lord Krishna Himself
on this night
and is taken in
procession around
the main streets around
the temple
until the wee hours
of the morning .
People position themselves
at every vantage point
to have the sacred darsan
of the Lord
adorning the Vaira Mudi , while
seated on a golden Garudan
with His divine consorts . Tradition
has it that anyone ,
who has
the good fortune of worshipping the
Lord in person on this
occasion
will be freed from all their sins
and will recieve the
special blessings of
Seluva
Narayanan.
The legend also has it that the
Vaira Mudi was the crown worn
by
Sriman Narayana at His abode at the Milky ocean ;
it was stolen by
Virochana , the son of Bhaktha
Prahlada , when the Lord was
sleeping . Virochana ran away to the
nether world with the stolen
crown of the Lord and hid there .
Garuda was requested later by
the devotees of
the Lord to go after
Virochana and recover
the Vaira Mudi . Garuda
descended to the nether world , fought
with Virochana , defeated him
, recovered his Lord's crown
and was flying back
to his Lord's abode
, when he saw child Krishna
playing
in the mid day heat with
His friends at Brindhavan . Garuda
spread his wings over his Master ,
the young Krishna to provide shade
and then placed the Vaira Mudi on
the head of Lord Krishna .
Local legend states that Lord
Krishna came later to Thirunarayana
Puram from Dwaraka and presented the Vaira Mudi to Seluva
Narayanan.
Based on the temple traditions ,
Vaira Mudi is not to be seen in day light .
Hence , it is brought to
Thirunarayana Puram from Mandya District treasury
on the day of the festival in
a special casket shielded from the Sun's rays .
There is special police protection
for this casket during its journey
from Mandya treasury to the temple
at Melkote and back on this day .
When the casket containing Vaira Mudi arrives at the
boundaries of the town ,
it is recieved with temple honors
and brought to the temple on a special
palanquin
. The sacred crown
arrives at the temple around 5.30 PM .
It rests in front of Acharya
Ramanuja's sanctum for another four hours.
Here , the Lord Seluva Narayanan is
fitted with the Vaira Mudi by
the temple priest
before the adoring
eyes of Acharya Ramanuja .
No one can see the Vaira Mudi until
the Lord adorns it . Hence ,the officiating
priest covers his eyes with a silk
garment , lifts the Vaira Mudi from
the casket and places it on the
Lord's head as a part of the coronation
ceremony . Now the procession
starts and lasts until the early hours of
the morning of the next day .The
majesty of this festival is matchless .
The quiet town of Melkote comes to
life during this special festival.
Lord Seluva Narayanan
is the darling child or Sella Pillai of AchArya
Ramanuja , who arrived at
Melkote , when he was 82 years young
and stayed for 12 long years at
Melkote worshipping the
Lord .
Seluva Narayanan is also known as
Rama Priyan since He was
worshipped by Lord Ramachandra
during His incarnation as
the son of
King
Dasaratha .
Thirunarayana Puram
(Melkote) has a sacred temple on the hill
for Lord Narasimha consecrated by
Prahlada . Many Vaishnavite
Acharyas like Nanjeeyar and the
first Jeeyar of Ahobila Mutt were born
here . A famous Sanskrit Acdaemy is
located at Melkote and has
its research center in sylvan
settings not too far from the temple .
Melkote is also famous for a local
sweet preparation named
Melkote Manoharam , the sacred white
clay used by Vaishnavas
on their foreheads , Ulundurai , a
variation on the traditional
Pongal using black gram and special
handloom clothings .
Many Hoysala Temples are within
driving distance of Melkote
and have enduring links to the
times , when Acharya Ramanuja
stayed in Karnataka desam
.
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