Thiruvahindrapuram Desikar Mangalasasanam 2026

Vadakalayars display their high devotional commitment to their Acharya

After a mega 9 hour Mangalasasanam event, Vedantha Desikar went on a Pattinapravesam providing darshan to devotees around the streets of Thiru Vahindrapuram on his birthday

Last year, Vadakalai Acharya Vedantha Desikar’s birthday day had fallen on a Thursday that necessitated a rescheduling of the programme events at the legendary location in Thiruvahindrapuram where he had composed the Hayagriva Stotram atop the hill. Things had taken a turn for the worse in the 1970s and 80s in temples in Tamil Nadu with devotees leaving their ancestral locations in search of greener pastures in bigger cities. This created a void in remote temples including ones as the Devanathaswamy temple in Thiruvahindrapuram, praised by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar. The physical infrastructure too took a hit and the temple had presented a worn out look in those decades and was crying for attention and restoration. The communication system was restricted and transport facilities minimal to locations such as this. Against this backdrop, the utsavams too lost its lustre in that phase.  And to add to the complication, the several decades old archaka family lost their service at the temple.

வையம் ஏழும் உண்டு ஆலிலை வைகிய மாயவன் 

அடியவர்க்கு மெய்யன் ஆகிய  தெய்வநாயகன் இடம் 

மெய் தகு வரைச் சாரல் 

மொய் கொள் மாதவி சண்பகம் முயங்கிய 

முல்லை அம் கொடி ஆட 

செய்ய தாமரைச் செழும் பணை திகழ்தரு 

திருவஹீந்திரபுரமே

After decades of slowdown, the devotional wave hit back strong at the turn of the century with Prarthana pooja and Parikarams leading the devotees back to the temples. And this historic divya desam benefitted from that with devotees heading to the Hayagriva Sannidhi atop the hill to invoke the blessings of the God of Education on Thursdays.

Devotees have been thronging the temple every Thursday right from 6am in big numbers and it was for that reason that the Vedantha Desikar’s procession to the Hayagriva Sannidhi had started at 3.30am last year so the several hundreds of devotees could have darshan of Hayagriva from 6am by which time Desikar made his way back down the hill.

This time with the acharya's birthday falling on a Tuesday, the schedule was back to normal. To coincide with the devotional wave that brought devotees back to this temple in large numbers, the original inhabitants too began to make their way back to the temple where they had grown up in the early phase in their lives. By the turn of the century, they had begun to settle down well in their career with many finding their way to overseas locations. And they wanted to give back to their Perumal with whose blessings they were prospering in their lives.

They did this in two ways – One they contributed their might to the restoration of the temple and to decorating their Perumal and Thayar with glittering jewellery. And two, they returned to Thiruvahindrapuram at least twice a year presenting their physical presence during the Brahmotsavam and their Acharya’s Utsavam in Puratasi.

On this Tuesday morning, the Vadakalayars of Thiruvahindrapuram turned out in good numbers despite this being an early week day. By 5am, they were at the Vedantha Desikar Sannidhi ahead of the Thiruppavai presentation. A surprise visitor early in the morning was Barath, a prabhandham member from Mylapore who skipped the Mangalasasanam event at the Vedantha Desikar Srinivasa Perumal koil to be here for the morning recital.

அத்திகிரி அருளாளப் பெருமாள் வந்தார் 

ஆனைபரி  தேரின்மேல் அழகர் வந்தார் 

கச்சிதனில் கண்கொடுக்கும் பெருமாள் வந்தார் 

கருதவரம் தரும் தெய்வ பெருமாள்  வந்தார் 

முத்தி மழை பொழியும் முகில்வண்ணர் வந்தார் 

மூலமென ஓலமிட வல்லார் வந்தார் 

உத்தர வேதிகுள்ளே உதித்தார் வந்தார் 

உம்பர்தொழும் கழலுடையார் வந்தார் தாமே 

The prabhandham members presented Thiruppavai, Thirupalliezhuchi and Vedantha Desikar’s Panniru Naamam and Thiru Chinnamaalai verses before the Acharya began his procession just after 6.15am from the Kannadi Arai to the Hayagriva Sannidhi atop the hill.

Hayagriva Stotram at the hill temple

There had been rain the previous night and the path was a bit soggy but as was to be seen over the next 8 hours, the Vadakalayars who carried their Acharya on their shoulders showed high devotional commitment. It was not an easy procession atop the hill but the Kainkaryaparas were unwavering in their devotion. The Veda Ghoshti followed the Acharya on the procession. As he made his way to the top, the representatives of Hayagriva welcomed Vedantha Desikar with wide ranging fruits and flower garland.

தேசோத்தார் இல்லை எனும் தெய்வநாயகா 

வாசக்குழல் மாமலராள் மணவாளர் 

வாசித்து எழும் மன்மதனார் மணல் தோப்பில் 

மாசிக்கடலாடி மகிழ்ந்து வருவாரே 

Nadaswaram artistes' delight with Nottuswaram presentation

Vedantha Desikar positioned himself at the mandapam opposite Hayagriva listening to the presentation of the Hayagriva Stotram, the first of the morning. It was past 9am when the Acharya made his way to the Devanathanatha Swamy Sannidhi for the second of the Mangalasasanam. As he got down the hill, one of the Kainkaryaparas signalled to the Nadaswaram artistes to play the Nottuswaram and till the time Vedantha Desikar would start listening to the Prabhandham and Stotram in front of the  Devanathaswamy Sannidhi, these artistes presented a devotional display of Muthuswami Dikshitar's English Notes. 

The slow rhythemic presentation of Mummani Kovai and Navamani Maalai followed by Devanayaka Panchasathu meant that the devotees who had by now gathered at the temple for a darshan of Devanatha Swamy had to wait for the Mangalasasanam at this Sannidhi to end. Some of them who did not understand the context grew restless and expressed urgency to have a darshan of perumal.

Vahavira Vaibhavam - A highlight of the morning

Past 10am, he moved on to the Ramar Sannidhi for the much awaited recital of Mahavira Vaibhavam, which is one of the highlights of this morning. But before that the members presented Desikar’s Paramatha Bangam verses, a prabhandham after his victory over his challengers in front of Devanathaswamy of Thiruvahindrapuram and registering the supremacy of Vishishtaadvaitham. Following this presentation, the devotees were stunned at the breathless recital of Mahavira Vaibhavam praising the greatness of Lord Rama. 

ஜட  கிரண ஷகள தரஜடில  நடபதி மகுட தட

நடன பது விபுத சரிததி

பஹுல மது களன லலித பத நளின ரஜ உபம்ருதித நிஜ

வ்ரிஜின ஜஹதுபல தணுருசின

பரம முநிவரா யுவதி நுத

Malola Kannan was among the first to release an album on Raghuvira Vaibhavam and he was present this morning. His rendition this morning alongside the Kainkaryaparas reflected his happy state of mind for his football daughter’s wedding has been fixed with the parents having been able to find a boy to go with her independent style of life.

(Malola Kannan's daughter - https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/05/chandomaye-malola-kannan.html)

This recital would have warranted a bit of a break but there was no such on this morning for the Kainkaryaparas for the procession moved on to Shengamala Thayar Sannidhi for the presentation of Sri Stuti.

Over the next couple of hours, Vedantha Desikar made his way to Rajagopalan, Andal, Nam Azhvaar and Ramanuja Sannidhis for Mangalasasanam. It was past 2pm when Vedantha Desikar made his way back to his abode to the presentation of the Vedic verses.

A Unique Temple Project

An interesting featuring of this Mangalasasanam day of Vedantha Acharya was the presence of ‘student’ Arun from Pondicherry along with his mentor Madam, who had returned to the erstwhile French colony after a long term teaching engagement in a University in Houston. The two of them have taken up a set of 15 temples in Pondicherry and are working on a unique project to bring forth a report on the traditions followed in Hindu temples including in the round the year utsavams. The two have already tracked the everyday activities in these 15 temples over the last one year and had turned up at the Devanathaswamy temple in Thiruvahindrapuram after being told about the grand birthday celebration at this Divya Desam. 

She told this writer during Vedantha Desikar's Pattinapravesam procession that started at 2.45pm from his Sannidhi that she is hoping for this to be a ‘role model’ project that can be replicated in other temple towns. The two of them caught the attention of the Kainkaryaparas and devotees alike on this day as they tried to capture exclusive moments from various different angles through Desikar’s procession to different sannidhis. They were trying to capture the mood of the occasion and the mentor even spotted a small ornament on the chest of Vedantha Desikar that she passed on to her mentee.

By the end of the mangalasasanam event, the Kainkarayaparas of Thiru Vahindrapuram were eager to understand the reasons behind the shooting of photos with their professional cameras and many were seen requesting them for copies of some exciting moments in the day. 

Past 3pm, it was time for them to return to Pondicherry for Satru Murai event of Vedantha Desikar at a Perumal temple there, even as the Acharya made his way out of his residence at Thiru Vahindrapuram for a procession around the streets of this legendary temple town.

Like last year, kudos to the Kainkarayaparas of Thiru Vahindrapuram who set aside the day in the year for their Acharya offering their selfless service from very early in the morning.