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Atthigiri: Splendour of the Devaraja Swamy Temple (English, Tamil and Kannada)
Author
Chithra Madhavan Translated by Veluvalli Siva Surya Nagendra Prasad
Specifications
  • ISBN 13 : 9788193883945
  • year : 2019
  • language : English and Tamil
  • binding : Hardbound
Description
The Devasthanam of Sri Devarajaswamy temple, Kanchipuram, has marked the 48-day Athivaradar festival with the release of a book. Filled with articles and pictures, the special edition, titled, ‘Atthigiri — Splendour of the Devaraja Swamy Temple,’ has several aspects of the famous Varadaraja temple highlighted. ‘Sthalapuranam’ gives details about the origin of Athivaradar, what legend says, etc. Ancient temples of this land are marvels of architecture, Varadarajaswamy temple being no exception. The sculptures are beautifully captured through photographs. Also the murals. A stunning aerial view of the landscape sets the tone for this gorgeous souvenir, Justice has been done to the rare emergence of Athivaradar, with sumptuous visuals of the deity and the temple tank, Ananthasaras, in colour and black and white. Perhaps, the reference to the ‘silver tub’ could have been avoided because the deity was not found in any casket when He was retrieved in July this year. It proved to be a misconception, an eyewitness had clarified in an article published on the deity these columns. The festivals unique to the temple share equal space with the articles on saints, who were closely associated with the deity. Varada was especially dear to Sri Ramanuja, whose life the Divine Couple saved. Tirukkachi Nambi, Koorathazhwan and Vedanta Desikar, whose prolific output included several hymns on Devadiraja, all are showcased. The culinary specialities of the temple have been covered too. The publishers have shown good perception in printing the articles also in Tamil and Telugu.