CHENNAI: My cousin’s sashtiyapthapoorthi or 60th birthday was slated to be celebrated at the Madurantakam Eri Katha Ramar Temple, which is one of the ancient and famous temples of Lord Rama, Lakshmana and Janaki Matha. It so happened to fall a few weekends ago, and I was one of the very few people fortunate to be invited to this great temple. Yeri Katha Raamar Temple is a temple dedicated to Lord Rama and located in the town of Maduranthakam. The temple was built during the Pallava era and is estimated to be about 1,600 years old. It is one of the popular abhimana sthalams.
The temple is also known as Vaikunda Varthanam, Thirumathurai, Thirumanthira Tirupathi, and Karunagara Vilagam.The presiding deity of the temple is Rama with his consort Sita and brother Lakshmana. The moolavar is in a standing position facing east and is around 8 feet tall. The images are made of stucco. In the pillared hall inside the Moolvar Sannadhi to the right, is a small covered passage built during the Pallava period which is a tunnel leading from the Moolavar Sannadhi to temple tank from where water is drawn every day for the Lord’s thirumanjanam. A board bearing these details is displayed here.
There are separate shrines for Lakshmi Narasimhar, Periya Nambi, Ramanuja, Andal, Sudarshana and Vedanta Desika in this temple. The most important shrine is of Sita who is worshipped here as Janakavalli Thayar. The walls around the sanctum of Lord Rama and Janakavalli Thayar bear artistic and lifelike wall-paintings of Lord Rama, Lakshman, Sita and Hanuman by present-day painters which are real and attractive.
Legend has it that during the period between 1795 and 1799, Chengalpattu district was under the control of a British officer called Colonel Lionel Blaze who was the collector then. The temple tank has an area of 13 sq miles and a depth of 21 feet. The collector had already witnessed two breaches to the huge tank. Another breach of the tank due to torrential downpour would spell doom and disaster to the village, was this man’s nightmare. Wanting to take preemptive action, the collector was exploring ways of strengthening the bunds when he noticed a large collection of stones inside the temple.
The collector ordered that these stones be used for restoration of the bunds. However, the temple priests respectfully told him that the stones were meant for constructing a separate shrine for Janakavalli Thayar which was stalled due to paucity of funds. The collector jestingly enquired of the priests why their Lord Rama was not there to save the temple tank. The priests retorted saying that Lord Rama never failed to answer a sincere prayer. The rains poured, the tank brimmed and that night the collector was the most worried man. Suddenly and miraculously, Colonel Blaze witnessed two warriors with bow and quiver guarding the bunds. The collector went down on his knees and prayed for he had no doubt that they were none other than the divine Lords Rama and Lakshmana.
After a while his vision evanesced and the rain stopped. The grateful collector kept his word and undertook the construction of the shrine for Janakavalli Thayar and Lord Rama in the temple came to be known as Eri Katha Ramar (Rama who saved the tank). Even today, the edict with the collector’s name citing him as a benefactor can be seen on the threshold of Janakavalli Thayar shrine in the temple.
It is interesting to note that this is the sthalam where Udayavar came to be known as ‘Shri Ramanujar’. It is also the place where Thirumazhisai Alvar attained siddhi.
More significantly, Sri Ramanujar was initiated into the Vaishnavite path by being instructed the Pancha Samskara Mantram here. Under the Bagula tree in the four-pillared hall behind the sanctum of the Moolavar shrine, Shri Ramanujar was given the ‘Pancha Samskaran’ or ‘Dvaya Mantropadesam’ by his teacher, Peria Nambigal. Thus, the bakula tree became to the Vaishnavites what the Bodhi tree is to the Buddhists. The ‘Pancha Samskaran’ festival is celebrated with grandeur here every year when thousands of people are fed. This is also the only temple where Sri Ramanujar is clad in white indicating that he is a grihastha or family man till then. A special festival called ‘Vella Sathumurai’ is held here every year during the Udayavar Urchavam when Sri Ramanujar as Urchavar comes clad in white.
Strangely, the Anjaneya temple is situated outside the precincts of the Ramar temple near the temple tank. The Hanuman idol is in a standing posture viewing the Moolavar, Lord Rama with rapt devotion.
I would be failing in my duty if I do not record my appreciation of the efficiency, hygiene and cleanliness with which the temple is being maintained now. Paucity of funds in this temple is now a story of the past. Due credit should be given to Soundararajan and Vedha Soundararajan and their son, Madhavan who are a devout Vaishnavite family in themselves. They have undauntedly taken up the task of not only maintaining the temple but also performing all rituals and festivals concerning the temple with such devotion and attention as the first theerthakaras of the temple by their lineage. In essence, it appears like they have been sent here by the Lord with the single purpose of propagating the Sri Rama’s name and fame far and wide. And believe me, they are at it with all their hearts, minds, bodies and earnings not to mention their souls.
Thirumazhisai Alvar attained siddhi
The legendary story associated with the district of Chengalpattu and collector Lionel Blaze, made the collector undertook the construction of the shrine for Janakavalli Thayar. This is also the sthalam where Udayavar came to be known as ‘Shri Ramanujar’. It is also the place where Thirumazhisai Alvar attained siddhi.