'Thirumangai Mannan' Vedupari at Srirangam Temple

A large number of devotees witnessed ‘Thirumangaimannan Vedupari,’ a holy ritual held on Jan. 09 as part of the 22-day Vaikunda Ekadasi festival at Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy temple. The ‘uthsavam’ is held on the eighth day of the ‘Raappathu’ festival. The ritual is held to mark the divine blessing of the Lord to Thirumangaimannan who comes and robs the valuables of Lord Narayana and his consort who were disguised as a newly-wed couple decked with jewellery. The Lord revealed himself and initiated the bandit king into the ‘Ashtakshara Mantra’ and thus he became ‘Thirumangai Azhwar.’