Jayasree Saranathan

Friday, May 6, 2022

Published my book “Rāmānuja Itihāsa: Decoding the identity of Krimikaṇṭha Chola and the Muslim invader at Melukote”

Today, at the conclusion of the Ramanuja Jayanti celebrations at Sriperumbudur, my book ‘Rāmānuja Itihāsa’ was published by our Acharya-s. After seeking the blessings of Srimad Ramanuja, the book was published at Koyil Kandhadai Appan Swamy Thirumaaligai by five Acharyas of Ramanuja Sampradaya.

From left to right:

Appan Swamy, Doddachar Swamy, Kumara Venkatachar Mudaliyandan Swamy (standing in the middle), Ilayavalli Swamy and Thirumani Swamy

My humble Namaskaram to all the Swamy-s and Acharya Ramanuja.

About the book

This book is of immense importance for having solved two historical mysteries in Ramanuja’s life that have far reaching implications for our understanding of the history of the medieval Cholas and the unrecorded earliest incursion of Islamic iconoclasts into southern India in the 11th century CE after the death of Mahmud of Ghazni.

In the course of finding out the answers for two questions - on who persecuted him and who looted the deity of Melukote - the book explores Ramanuja's journey from Srirangam to back to Srirangam in the course of which later day history is also revealed - of the destruction spree of Tipu Sultan on the temples and monuments associated with Ramanuja when he came to know that the martyrdom of the Ghazi who looted the deity of Melukote was made wasteful by Ramanuja by having successfully restored the looted property. Ramanuja was perhaps the one and only person in the entire history of struggle against the Muslim invaders in having reclaimed the stolen property without any violence or bloodshed.

The book further brings to the fore the identity of the Chola King who had thrown out the Main Murti of Lord Govindaraja of Chidambaram into the sea. Ramanuja managed to protect the processional murti of Govindaraja by installing the deity at Tirupati.

Supported by multiple evidences and photographs from a field trip on the trail of Ramanuja, this book is an intellectual feast to both history enthusiasts and the disciples of Ramanuja.

Chapter-wise content of the book can be read here: https://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2022/04/chapter-wise-content-of-my-new-book.html