Indian Recepies & Travel Blog - Vankipuram, Gods Country

This Vuthsavam happens on the final day of Bramothsavam of Eri Katha Ramar and is done to Karunakaran (Srinivasar Perumal). Chack out the Garland that I am wearing is a honour for me and my family, as it was from Karunakaran.
This year, the Vuthsavam took place on Tuesday, the 24th day of June 2008, and it is performed every year using the contributions of Vankipuram and its Family.

I am privilaged to be honored by the huge garland that was put on the Vuthsava morthy called Karunakaran. The garland seems to be too long. This Vothsavam alone is done for Karunakaran which means Srinivasa Perumal the God who has multiple names as Kesava, Madhava, Govinda, Rushikesa, Padmanabha, Dhamodhara, Vishnu among others.

Every child of Maduranthakam has been fed with the story of Eri Katha Ramar along with mother?s milk. However, Madurantakam is a small town about seventy kilometres to the south of Chennai [formerly Madras], located on National Highway 45 connecting Chennai with Kanyakumari, the southernmost point of India.

There is rich folklore associated with this place and it is said that Lord Rama Himself visited it, while wandering in search of His Consort Sita. There is big tank in the neighbourhood, and Rama is supposed to have had a bath there while visiting the place. In later years, a temple for Rama was duly established.
During eighteenth century. By that time, Madras and many regions near it had come under the rule of the British East India Company, and that included Madurantakam. Sometime in 1795, there was a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal following which there was a heavy downpour in and around Madurantakam. The then Collector named Col. Lionel Price got the news that the lake in Madurantakam was full and that there was the danger of a breach. If the breach occurred, it might result in severe damage to surrounding property.
Col. Price lost no time in heading for Madurantakam, and after carrying out the inspection, ordered that the breach be plugged. He then decided to visit the Rama temple in the neighbourhood. Removing his shoes out of respect for native tradition, he entered the temple. He found it in a dilapidated condition. Apparently, devotion had declined and that was part of the reason for the poor state of the temple.
Looking around, Col. Price saw in a corner a heap of bricks. He enquired what the bricks were doing there, piled up high. He was told by the temple priest that they were meant for constructing a temple for Mother Sita, but the construction could not be carried out because there was no money. Why was there no money asked the collector? The reply given was that the huge tank regularly breached during cyclones and that caused much loss to the people; that was why they could not raise funds for building the temple.
Col. Price then asked, “How come your Rama is not coming to your rescue? Why does He not protect the tank, allowing you to build the temple for His Consort?”
The temple authorities were deeply hurt by this remark and replied, “Next time there is an emergency, you will definitely see Lord Rama coming to our rescue.” Aerial view of the Madurantakam Tank. Due to years of drought, there is no water. This tank is man-made and, like many others in South India, is used to harvest rain water for agriculture. The tank is bounded mainly by mud walls. In a good season, there is plenty of water in the tank, which then presents the appearance of a lake. As it turned out very shortly after that, there was a heavy downpour and this time the situation was really serious.
Col. Price rushed again to Madurantakam, and the sight that greeted him overwhelmed him. A ferocious storm was raging and the fury of Nature stunned Col. Price. Gone was the earlier bravado and he was at his wit’s ends. It was just too much, and God alone could save the situation.
There was a big crowd of villagers taking shelter in the temple. The water level in the lake was rising menacingly and Col. Price was wondering whether he would have a watery grave here in this village while his wife and family were in far-away England unaware of his situation. While immersed thus in his thoughts, he found an elderly gentleman talking non stop about Lord Rama, His Glory and His Power.
This was a desperate situation beyond the might of the British East India Company. Though a devout Christian, Col. Price decided to give Lord Rama a try and silently prayed:
“O Lord Rama, they say You are great. In that case, please come to the rescue of all of us and save everyone by preventing the lake from breaching. If You respond to my prayers, I shall, as an expression of my gratitude, build a temple for Your Consort.”
The moment Col. Price concluded his prayer, there was a flash of lightning, and he had a vision of Rama and Lakshmana smiling! Astounded, he simply cried, “Look there!” and immediately fainted.
When he regained consciousness, Col. Price found himself in a comfortable bed in his own quarters, surrounded by his minions. He sat up with a start and demanded to know the latest position about the tank. He was told that miraculously the rains stopped suddenly, besides which the water level in the lake came down abruptly to a safe level. Col. Price felt relieved, ecstatic and most grateful to the Lord who had come to the rescue in such a dramatic fashion.
Not only Price but also the people of Madurantakam realised that it was Lord Rama who had come to their rescue. Thus it is that even today the temple deity is not referred to as just Rama but as Rama who protected the tank - "Eri Katha Ramar".
As for the Colonel, he duly kept his promise and did have a temple constructed for Mother Sita. In fact, there may be found to this day, an inscription in Tamil and Telugu that the temple was built by Company Collector Lionel Place. [The person who did the engraving apparently got the name wrong!]