This is the last and 15th instalment in this series of essays on my 3-day pilgrimage to 6 Divya Desam temples in and around the town of Mayiladuthurai in Tanjore and to the Tharangambadi-taluka village of Vilanagar where the grand Mahasamprokshanam of a c.900-year old temple of Sridevi Perundevi Thayar sametha Sri Varadaraja Perumal wasContinue reading “THE END of a memorable “yaathra’ : Six “divya-desams” and one “maha-samprokshanam” – Vilanagar Varadaraja Perumal Temple (Part-15) : CONCLUDED”
Tag Archives: Vilanagar
A memorable “yaathra’ : Six “divya-desams” and one “maha-samprokshanam” – Vilanagar Varadaraja Perumal Temple (Part-14)
The Pancharatra Agama stresses surrender to God (atma-nikshepa), humility, unwavering faith, and the recognition of Vishnu as the sole protector. These attitudes are woven into the prayers and ritual intentions throughout the Samprokshanam. Vastra Samarpana (Offering Clothes): Fresh garments or cloth are offered to the deity. Alankara (Adornment): The deity is adorned with ornaments, flowers, and sandal paste. Gandha,Continue reading “A memorable “yaathra’ : Six “divya-desams” and one “maha-samprokshanam” – Vilanagar Varadaraja Perumal Temple (Part-14)”
A memorable “yaathra’ : Six “divya-desams” and one “maha-samprokshanam” – Vilanagar Varadaraja Perumal Temple (Part-13)
Having been close witness to a few of the preliminary ritualistic sessions at the Vilanagar temple Samprokshanam during the first couple of days, I was able to gain some broad and clear understanding of what the various rites involved signified but then only in a very broad sense. Samprokshanam under the Pancharatra Agama is howeverContinue reading “A memorable “yaathra’ : Six “divya-desams” and one “maha-samprokshanam” – Vilanagar Varadaraja Perumal Temple (Part-13)”
A memorable “yaathra’ : Six “divya-desams” and one “maha-samprokshanam” – Vilanagar Varadaraja Perumal Temple (Part-12)
The Mahasamprokshanam ritual (also known as Kumbhabhishekam or Samprokshanam), holds significant historical importance in Hindu temple tradition. Its primary purpose is to “homogenize, synergize and unite the mystic powers of the deity” — essentially, it is a reconsecration ceremony that recharges and revitalizes the spiritual energy of the temple and its deities. Historically, this ritualContinue reading “A memorable “yaathra’ : Six “divya-desams” and one “maha-samprokshanam” – Vilanagar Varadaraja Perumal Temple (Part-12)”
A memorable “yaathra’ : Six “divya-desams” and one “maha-samprokshanam” – Vilanagar Varadaraja Perumal Temple (Part-11)
A “kovil samprokshanam” is a very uniquely Hindu religious concept and grand ritual indeed. Although in the the past, I had witnessed (from only afar though) an event of a samprokshanam being conducted at a temple, I confess that like so many thousands of ordinary pilgrims or temple-goers in the country, I too was woefullyContinue reading “A memorable “yaathra’ : Six “divya-desams” and one “maha-samprokshanam” – Vilanagar Varadaraja Perumal Temple (Part-11)”
A memorable “yaathra’ : Six “divya-desams” and one “maha-samprokshanam” (Part-1)
Last year in 2024, around the same time as end-April 2025, I undertook my customary annual pilgrimage of the Divya Desam temples, offering worship in the 9 famous temples in and around the town of Tirunelveli, and known popularly as “Nava Tirupati Divya Desa kshetrams“, besides at two other temples in Tirukurungudi and Vanamamalai. AndContinue reading “A memorable “yaathra’ : Six “divya-desams” and one “maha-samprokshanam” (Part-1)”