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Source: The Hindu 
(http://www.hinduonnet.com/fr/2003/02/28/stories/2003022801310600.htm)


Sri Ramanuja shrine at Tirumala gets a facelift 










Sri Ramanuja ... resplendent. 


THE SACRED Seven Hills, also known by the names of Seshadri, Tiruvengadam and 
Tirumala, seat of Venkata Nayaka (Srinivasa), is believed to be a manifestation 
of Adisesha — Ananta, the serpent bed of Sriman Narayana. The Azhwars 
assert that the Lord "jumped" from Paramapada, his blissful abode, atop the 
Seshadri hill, and then came down to Srirangam to recline on His Seshasayanam.

Sri Ramanuja is proclaimed to be an incarnation of Adisesha. He was closely 
associated with Srirangam and Tirumala. Born in Sriperumbudur, he settled down 
in Kanchipuram after a study of the languages and Vedanta, and dedicated 
himself to the service of Lord Varadaraja. Srirangam was then the pontifical 
seat of Sri Vaishnavism, and Yamunacharya (Alavandar) the pontifical chief. 
After the demise of Yamuna, Ramanuja was invited by Sri Ranganatha to move over 
to Srirangam and carry on the mission of spreading the Vaishnava faith and also 
look after His temple. 

Even while in Srirangam, Ramanuja began to pay attention to Tirumala. He first 
sent Anantazhwar, an ardent disciple, to the hills to establish a flower garden 
which would provide Tulasi and flowers for the daily worship. His maternal 
uncle and Acharya Srisailapurna — Tirumalai Nambi, a disciple of Yamuna, 
was already there, serving Sri Venkatesa.

After a few years, probably around 1050 A.D., Ramanuja undertook his first trip 
to Tirupati. Unwilling to tread upon the holy body of Adisesha, Ramanuja 
crawled on all fours. While he paused to take rest on the steep `knee-breaker' 
hill (`mokalla mitta'), Sri Tirumalai Nambi and Ananthazhwar, who were coming 
down to receive him with the Lord's prasada — holy tirta and fruits — 
met him there. Ramanuja eagerly partook of the prasadams, consumed some mango 
fruits and buried the seeds there. In course of time, trees grew out of these 
seeds.

On reaching the abode of Sri Venkatesa, Ramanuja was received with temple 
honours. Inside, he feasted his eyes on the lovely form of the Lord and was 
delighted to see the verdant , established by Anantazhwar, with a tank. He 
fondly embraced the disciple, blessed him by saying, "Valarthadhanal Payan 
Petren" (I have obtained the fruits of bringing you up). Ramanuja stayed on the 
hill for three days and used the opportunity to deliver several discourses on 
the Upanishads. These were soon compiled in the form of a book, "Vedanta 
Sangraha", Ramanuja's first work on the Vedanta.

Ramanuja stayed for a year in Tirupati, to study the significance of Valmiki's 
Ramayana under the guidance of acharya Tirumalai Nambi. Since he thought it was 
a sacrilege to live on the holy hill, which he revered as the body of Adisesha, 
and Tirumalai Nambi could not miss his service and worship of Venkateswara even 
for a day, they met at the foot of the hills everyday to study the epic. 

Venkatesa, did not want to miss the company of His ardent devotees, and joined 
them. The imprint of his Tiruvadi can be seen at the foothills where they 
studied the Ramayana. Years later, Ramanuja had to go to Tirupati again, as he 
was summoned to establish that the Lord atop the Venkata Hill was solely a 
manifestation of Mahavishnu. Ramanuja convinced the ruling chieftain at 
Tirupati, quoting extensively from the Veda, Puranas and other sources that the 
deity was none other than Mahavishnu. He also restored the Chanka and Chakra on 
the deity. The Lord had given them away to King Thondaman to help him win 
battles. Ramanuja established the utsava idol of Govindaraja displaced from 
Chidambaram at the Vishnu temple in Tirupati. 

He arranged for the extension of the temple and regular conduct of puja and 
festivals there. He introduced a number of reforms in the worship of the Lord 
and in the temple administration at Tirumala. The reforms introduced by 
Ramanuja, called "Ramanujarya Divyagna", have been recorded in detail in "Sri 
Venkatachala Itihasamala" and the "Tirupati Tirumala Itihasamala" (Tirumalai 
Ozhugu).

An image of Ramanuja, after he shed his mortal coil, was consecrated in a 
shrine at the Tirumala temple. There is no other acharya or Azhwar in `urcha 
form' at Tirumala. Several centuries later, Sri Manavalamamuni, a reincarnation 
of Ramanuja, visited the Tirumala temple and strengthened the administration on 
secular and religious matters.

Manavalamamuni, identified the spot where Ramanuja had rested, and wished to 
build a temple there. Kandadai Ramanuja Iyengar (Muni), a trusted lieutenant of 
Mamunigal, built a temple there and consecrated a beautiful archa image 
(moolavar) of Ramanuja and arranged for food offering every day at Tirumala. 

Manavalamamunigal had lovingly referred to this archa form as "Mambazha 
Emperumanar".

This temple has now been renovated, thanks to the efforts of Srimad Chinna Jeer 
Swami, with the blessings of Srimad Periya Jeer Swami. The mahasamprokshana of 
this renovated temple was performed on February 7, with a three-day preliminary 
function, according to the Vaikhanasa agama under the supervision of the agama 
advisors to TTD. All the offerings for the "homam" and the prasadams for all 
the days were brought from the main temple in Tirumalai and offered to 
Ramanuja. 

On the mahasamprokshanam day, Baghavat Senapati Azhwar (Senai Mudaliar) from 
Sri Venkateswara temple was brought in procession with the Lord's Sri Satakopan 
to the renovated temple and in the presence of both the Jeers, Acharya purushas 
and Srivaishnava goshti, purnahuti, Samprokshanam and Sathumurai were performed.

The mahasamprokshanam was fittingly celebrated at the main temple of 
Venkateswara with a grand procession of Malayappaswami and Bashyakara Swami 
(utsavar), with a full goshti chanting, "Ramanuja Nuttrandadi" round the four 
mada streets in the evening. The function concluded with the offering of 
prasadam to the Lord and Sri Ramanuja, in the Ramanuja shrine, inside the main 
temple.

The renovation was carried out by Subbiah Stapathy and his son Swaminathan 
(Siva) Stapathy of Kanchipuram. The temple is located on the left before the 
Mukkala Mita Mantap as one ascends the steps, and is about 1.5 km before the 
`toll gate'.





V. V. RAMANUJAM 






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