The Azhwars and the main deity decorated
DEVOTEES AT the Richmond Hill Hindu Temple in Toronto, Canada, celebrated the first anniversary of the consecration of Azhwars and Sri Ramanuja with a two-day festival on September 19 and 20.
This year's feature included a divine wedding, where a ``Pasuramaalai" containing ten gold medallions with inscriptions of the ten verses of the famous Amalanaadhipiran of Thiruppaanaazhwar was dedicated to the Utsava Perumaal.
Devotees sang with great love and joy several Pasurams of the Azhwars including the Amalanaadhipiran, Varanamaayiram of Sri Andal and Pasurams from Thiruvaaimozhi of Nammaazhwar.
The golden Pasuramaalai
Earlier Thirumanjanam of Sri Moolavar Perumaal was conducted followed by the Thirukkalyaanam Utsavam of Perumaal with Sri Padmaavathi Thaayaar and Sri Andal. This temple is the first in North America to have a shrine for all the 12e Azhwars along with Sri Ramanuja. An interesting feature of the idols consecrated here last year is that they are replicas of those present in the shrines at the original birthplaces of the Azhwars.On the previous day, Friday, the function started off with Maha Sankalpam, followed by Kalasa Aradhana, Sri Sudarshana Homam and Thirumanjanam for all Azhwars and Sri Ramanuja along with Utsava Perumaal and Thaayaar amidst the rendering of Naanmukan Thiruvandhadhi of Sri Thirumazhisai Piran.
A souvenir released by Sri Gopala Krishnan, Treasurer and Trustee of the Hindu Temple Society of Canada marking the special occasion gave an insight into the philosophic import of the immortal verses of Sri Thiruppaanaazhwar along with the text both in Tamil and English.
Verses inscribed on the back of the gold medallions.
The publication also detailed contributions and the spiritual legacy of the Azhwars and Sri Ramanuja to our heritage.
The author Dr. N. Ranganathan, a devotee, commenting on the event, points out that the devotees had dedicated previously a Pasuramaalai containing twenty-five verses (from 39 to 63) of Naanmukan Thiruvandhadhi of Thirumazhisai Piran adorns the Moolavar.
The verses 59 to 63 from this work beginning with Pasuram ``Anbhavaai" as well as the ten verses of Amalanadhi Piran are sung routinely every Saturday at the temple during the Aradhana. Among the devotees one could spot people of South Asian and Caucasian origins now living in Canada, U.S.A. and the U.K.
RAJ RANGARAJAN
(The author is a resident of New York city.)
