To have a glimpse of 108 Vaishnavite Divya Desams, one may have to put in considerable effort.
But the exhibition on replica of idols of these Divya Desams organised near the Uzhavar Sandhai grounds in the city provides a good opportunity for the devotees to learn about the shrines.
With religious fervour gripping the area, one is surprised to see a row of models of idols in different forms of Lord Vishnu at these temples. To properly guiding the devotees, the idols had been arranged in seriatim commencing from Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy temple which is considered the foremost among the 108 Divya Desams.
The display of details of each and every deity facilitates devotees to know the name of each and every shrine, its rank among the 108 divya desams.
For instance, the idols of Sri Valvil Raman in Pullamboothakudi near Kumbakonam and Sri Sonnavannam Seitha Perumal, near Kancheepuram, and other idols provide a divine ambience.
“Before entering the ‘temples’ after purchasing the tickets, we were not much enthralled; but as soon as we got into it, we were taken by surprise over the array of gods,” say a cross-section of devotees.
“The objective of the endeavour is to facilitate the devotees to have the “darshan” of the replica of the idols of these divine places at a single place. Apart from senior citizens, even the youths offer their worship at the venue,” says S. Sudhakaran, coordinator of the All India Hindu Maha Sabha. The idols have been made of metals and designed meticulously to represent the details of the presiding deity of the respective Divya Desam.
Till October 18
Ragulji, State youth wing secretary of the sabha, and Manibala, another co-ordinator, said the darshan would be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. till October 18.
