Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam – Ramanujam Shrine
The
history of Srirangam occupies an important place in the spiritual history of
India as one of the major worship place of Sri Vaishnavism, which grew
vigorously particularly in the south from the 7th to the
13th centuries. It was the seat of a school of philosophy whose most
outstanding leader was the Vaishnava teacher Sri Ramanuja. The philosophy of
Sri Ramanuja is known as Vishishtadvaita.
His Thirumeni
(the body) is preserved and offered prayers even today after 8 centuries in
Srirangam temple in a shrine in the 5th prakara of the temple, just
opposite to the temple of Sri Chakkarathalwar. His Thirumeni is preserved in
the temple in a seated position holding a jnana-mudra. A paste of saffron and
camphor is applied every six months over the body in order to preserve it.
Sri Ramanujacharya
made the Srirangam Temple his headquarters. His Samadhi (tomb) is within the
premises of the Srirangam Temple. The deity seen is the actual body of Sri
Ramanuja at Udayavar/Yadhirajar/Ramanujar shrine inside Sri Ranganathaswamy
Temple, Srirangam. His mortal remains anointed with preservative herbs.
When it
was time for Sri Ramanuja to leave this World, he informed his disciples about
it. Disciples requested Acharya to live with them for some more days. Ramanuja
told he will live with them for three more days. Disciples were not satisfied,
so Yathirajar told to get a deity made, then after duly sanctifying the statue
he transferred all his power into it. Then With his head on the lap of Lord and
his feet on the lap of Vaduga Nambi, Ramanuja breathed his last in 1137 AD
listening to the recitation of the Divya Prabandam and looking at the Sri
Padukas of Yamunacharya.
His
physical body is preserved even today in a sitting posture in the Sannidhi
(Sanctum Sanctorum).Yearly twice the body is applied Pachai Karpooram (Camphor)
and Kumkum (Vermillion). There are people who claim that his tomb (samadi) is
found in this shrine and it is a wax idol.