Mysore, March 23, 2013.
Thousands of devotees witnessed the vairamudi festival at the temple town of melkote in Madya district with amid chanting of Vedic hymns, lord cheluvaraswamy, decked with the vairamudi (price less diamond crown), and was taken in a procession at the auspicious hour around the temple town.
Fondly called chellapillai (beloved son), lord cheluvaraswamy, the presiding deity of melkote, with his consorts gave darshan to the anxiously wating devotees.
The night long festival began with crowning of vairamudi to the lord cheluvaraswamy, at the main temple before entering into the main streets of the town; later the ceremony which concluded early hours today.
Entire temple town was illuminated and it was tradition that every house hold had made arrangements for food for the devotees who paid visit to have darshan of vairamudi festival.
The flower arrangements of the vairamudi procession had been so done that the images of vishnu with his consorts sridevi and bhudevi seemed to be floating, just above the heads of the thronging devotees.
According to temple sources, a mere darshan of the sight of the lord would relieve them from all bondages and bring them salvation. Hence, people throng the vairmudi festival to have a glimpse of the diety and cleanse themselves of all karmas. Pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Mahrastrha and Kerla visit the temple town during the festival conducted on the fourth day of Brahmotsavam.
With the history of more then 1000, years , melkote that once sheltered the vaishnava saint, ramanujacharaya.
According to history, the vairamudi belonged to lord aniruddha who reside at a ksheerasagara (the milky ocean), but virochana, son of prahalada, stole the previous vairamudi and garuda was summoned to follow him and bring the crown back. Garuda followed and vanquished virochana and retrieved the crown. On the way, he found Krishna playing in the brindavana with his friends and cows and offered it to him and went back to narrate the incident, Krishna offered the crown to the presiding diety here that was known as vairamaudi or vajramukhi.
The vairamudi crown has gifted to temple by the mysore royal wadiyar family long back
The vairamudi crown that was secured in the mandya treasury was brought under heavy security and opened in the presence of senior officials at melkote.
Special buses arrangements have been made from various parts of the state to melkote.
Earlier the vairamudi and ramamudi has been taken in a procession from mandya, people in 86 villages enroute to melkote offered pooja to both priceless crowns.
