Welcome to Adiyen Sri Ramanuja Dasan !
" Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha !"
This is a clear indication of his satisfaction at the glorious termination of his campaign. The gold guilding of Ananda Nilaya Vimana with the 30,000 varahas of gold endowed by Sri Krishnadevaraya was completed on Thursday, combined with the star Svati, being the 5th lunar day of the bright fortnight of the kanya month in the cyclic year Bahudhanya, current with the Saka year 1440 (9-9-1518 A.C.). There are as many as 54 inscriptions which record all the benefactions made by Sri- Krishnadevaraya and his two queens during their visits. Among the Vijayanagar kings, the name of Vira Narasinga Deva Yadavaraya was also associated with the Ananda Nilaya Vimana. He is supposed to have performed the Tularohana ceremony (weighing himself against gold) and presented that gold to the temple of Sri Venkatesvara for the guilding of the Vimana and other structures and this seems to have taken place simultaneously with the fixing of kanaka kalasa over the Vimana by Jatavarmana Soundara Pandya I.
The gold guilding of the Anada Nilaya Vimana for the fifth time was done in 1630 A.C. by Kotikanyakadanam Tatacharyar of Kanchi during the reign of Venkata. For the sixth time Adhikari Ramalakshmanadasa, one of the brother disciples of Sri Mahant Prayagdasa, arranged for fixing of the kanaka-kalasa (golden vase) over the vimana of Sri Venkatesvara's central shrine on the 5th lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Asvayuja in the year Kidaka, current with the Kaliyuga 5010 (30-9-1908 A.C.).
Thus we see that attempts to complete to cover the Ananda Nilaya Vimanam with gold-gilted plates- was done at six different times since, it was originally started in about 1260 nearly 700 years ago. Due to long passage of time the Vimanam has lost its brilliance, and the covering was found to be disturbed; while the masonry work decayed and allowed rain water to drip in the sanctum at intervals.
In 1957, The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams found it therefore necessary to repair the structure and replace the old plates by new ones. The entire work is estimated at Rs. 16,00,000. The height of the Ananda Nilaya Vimana is 37' 8" including the kalasam with a square base of 27' 4". The gold received in the Hundi had been preserved for sometime for the purpose, purified and drawn into pure gold bars and converted into thin leaves for being applied at the copper plates, which will cover the Vimanam.
Every attempt was made to keep up the old features and panels of the existing Vimanam. For this purpose photographs of each were taken together with the measurements, and actually had a replica of the Ananda Nilaya Vimana constructed. The Vimanam was divided into three sections and each section is being 10' 10' 9" and 16' 3" respectively and in the first section i.e. in the bottom most section there are no figures carved. It is only in the second and third sections, we have the figures. There are 40 figures in the second section and 19 in the third section. Since the third section is circular in form and the second section is rectangular, we have the corner places left vacant and in this we have the lotus with two Simhams one on either side of the lotus. In these we have the figures of avatars of Vishnu and also Dwara palakas, Garudalwar, Anjeneya and some Vaikhanasa Rishis like Bhrigu, Atri, MArichi, Kasyapa, Markandeya, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu etc.
Jai Srimannaryana !
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