Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam – Fifth Enclosure
(Agalangan Thiruveedhi)
The
fifth enclosure contains the Shrine of Manavala Maamunigal in the Chola Style.
It is also called as Agalangan Thiruveedhi. It is considered as Swargaloka. Through
the Ranga Ranga Gopuram one enters this 5th prakara. In this enclosure
there is Ranga Vilasa mantapa on the southern side, temple of Andal, temple of
Lord Venugopalan, the temple of Sri Chakkarathalwar on the south-west, temple
of Sri Ramanujar on the south-east, the temple of Srimathi Ranganayaki Naachiyar
on the north-western side, and the Kamban Mantapa on the northern side.
In the
eastern side is the Sesharayar Mantapa, 1000 pillared mantapa where the
Vaikuntha Ekadashi festivities and the recital of Naalaayira Divya Prabandam as
well as the Araiyar Sevai takes place. This enclosure has the only white
gopuram known as Vellai gopura at the eastern entrance to the temple. In Tamil Vellai
means white, however this gopura is named in the memory of a devadasi and
devotee of the Lord, named Vellai Ammal.
She
sacrificed her life to protect the Deity of Namperumal from the Muslim army led
by Malik Kafur who attacked the temple. The then Muslim ruler wanted to loot
Srirangam temple and particularly the Deity of Namperumal because he learnt
that the Deity was made of pure abharanji gold. He ordered an attack in the
year 1323.
In the
fight, 13,000 Sri Vaishnavas laid their life to protect the Deity. However the
jewels and the gold of Lord Ranganatha were looted. They then started searching
for the Deity but could not find it. Sri Pillai Lokacharya had taken away the
Deity to Madurai. Unable to locate the Deity, they killed the temple
authorities and started hunting for Sri Pillailokacharya and Namperumal.
Fearing
that the army would capture the Acharya and the Lord, a devadasi named Vellai
performed a dance before the commander-in-chief and seduced him buying some
time for Pillailokacharya to reach Madurai. She finally took him on top of the
eastern gopura and pushed him down. After killing him, she jumped from the
gopura chanting the name of Lord Ranganatha.
Following
her sacrifice, Kempanna, the chief of Vijayanagara army drove away the Muslim
army and named the eastern gopura after Vellai Ammal. Even today this gopura is
painted white in her memory.