108 divya desam velukkudi krishnan
Volume One which was released earlier covered the Divya Desam shrine of Thiru Singavel Kundram at Ahobilam.
108 DIVYA DESAM VELUKKUDI KRISHNAN SERIES
These 108 temples are located in several clusters and accordingly, it is proposed to cover all these temples in this series in 7 volumes. Once more pilgrims visit these places, the infrastructure there is bound to improve and with increased awareness, the contributions to these temples will also increase to take care of their maintenance. The reason for initiating this series is to give a first-hand account of the author’s visits to these shrines in a travelogue format with plenty of pictures so that our youngsters are drawn towards these temples. A few philanthropists and others have contributed for the renovation of many of these temples but much more is required to be done. Many of these temples are small and do not have enough resources for their upkeep and maintenance. Interestingly, a vast majority of these shrines are located in South India with a few scattered across North and Western India. While some of these temples are well known and located in large towns, there are many which are located in remote places and not easily accessible. These Srivaishnava temples include the 108 Divya Desams which are shrines worshipped and glorified by the great saints like Azhwars whose hymns have been compiled into the Divyaprabandham. Temples have always been patronized by the kings and rulers of various regions and also by the general public.Īmong the more popular iconic forms of God is Lord Vishnu or Narayana who is worshipped at innumerable Srivaishnava temples all over the country. While we have many shrines with history and antiquity behind them, there are many temples which are of recent origin. These iconic forms have been classified into various categories like Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti etc which are spread across the length and breadth of the country. A pilgrimage to these temples to worship these icons is a way of life for most Hindus. For the sake of identification and ease of worship, the formless God has been given many iconic forms, in fact thousands of them. Apart from providing spiritual solace, temples have also been repositories of art and architecture and been instrumental in community bonding. Temples have always played an important role in the lives of Hindus in the country from times immemorial.