KAILASA

The Great King Tippu Sultan’s visit

The Tiger of Mysore, the great King Tippu Sultan, the ruler of the Mysore kingdom lived from 1750 t0 1799. Tipu Sultan’s prestigious legacy was aggrandized soon after his death in the year 1839.
During the years 1786, 1790, he came to Madurai and prostrated the 282nd Guru Maha Sannidhanam Srila Sri Pambani Naadha Sri Jnana Sambandha Desika Paramacharya Swamigal and had very amicable communication with him. It is said in the Aadheenam history that the following were Tippu Sultan’s contributions to the Aadheenam:

1. Silver plates
2. Leather coated drums
3. Thiru symbol made in silver
4. Punugu
5. Jawad
6. Arab country’s high quality Athaar types
7. Silver Sword
8. Male Elephant

 
 
 

Visit of Veerama Munivar

Veerama Munivar was born on 8th November, 1680 A.D. in Castiglione delle Stiviere, Mantova, Italy. Earlier called with the name Constanzo Joseph Beschi, an Italian missionary, he initially came to Tamilnadu with the idea to spread Catholicism in the year 1709, but by divine will became a great Tamil scholar.
He became a master of Tamil literature and he has been immortalized by the Tamil community reverentially as Veerama Munivar and his statue stands at the Marina Beach at Chennai as one of the 20 Tamil savants. His contributions to Tamil are many-fold.

He had not only felt the richness of Tamil language and greatness of Tamil people but also the greatness of Saiva Siddhanta. He learnt Tamil language with great interest. He also wished that people all over the world must know the greatness of Tamil language.
He had a deep Saiva Siddhanta knowledge. When he was asked to bring it before the world, he wrote ‘Chathragaradi’ in Tamil, as a substitute to Sanskrit. He also wrote three Tamil grammar books and 3 Tamil dictionaries, one of the grammar books called “Thennool Vilakkan” in which he has compiled the five grammar, such as the letter, word, meaning, and figures of speech. And the Chaturakarati (சதுரகராதி), the quadruple lexicon containing words, synonyms, categories of words, and rhymes; a Tamil-Latin and Latin-Tamil-Portuguese dictionary.
With a deep love for Tamil culture, language, its rich tradition, he also translated the ‘Arathupal’ and ‘Porutpal’ of our ‘Thirukuraal’ in Latin language and even wrote prose books like

1. Veda Vilakkam
2. Thonool Vilabbam
3. Vediyar Ozhukkam
4. Jnana Kannadi
5. Senthemizh Ilakkanam
6. Stories of Paramartha Guru – a humorous literature

Living an ascetic life, thoroughly immersed in Tamil literature and culture, Veerama Munivar integrates several literary devices successfully employed by classics such as Kamba Ramayanam (கம்ப இராமாயணம்) and Silappathikaram (சிலப்பதிகாரம்). This is particularly evident in his description of landscape, mountain, sea, desert and fertile land.
All these above said books were written, Veera Munivar placed all of them at the feet of 279^th Maha Sannidhanam Srila Sri Siva Gnana Swamigal, who them placed them before the Almighty. Srila Sri Siva Gnana Swamigal said with great happiness that it is for Him, Lord Shiva to go through the writings and bless them.
Veerama Munivar surely will be forever praised without fail by all those who harbor the real spirit of Tamil language for his great contributions to spread the glory of this divine language to the world.

Rev. Dr. George Uglow Pope aka ‘Saiva Siddhanta Maharathi‘

Rev. Dr. G.U.Pope was born in America on 4^th April, 1820. He came to Tamilnadu in the year 1839. He learnt Tamil, Sanskrit language with great academia interest which soon developed into a devotion to Tamil study. He visited the existing pontiffs of Madurai Aadheenam, the 287^th Guru Maha Sannidhaanam Srila Sri Saravana Sri Gnana Sambandha Desika Paramacharya Swami and 288^th Guru Maha Sannidhanam Srila Sri Arumuga Sri Jnana Sambandar Desika Paramacharya Swamigal during the subsequent years 1840, 1841 and 1842 and felt greatly happy discussing about the ‘Saiva Siddhanta’ and the greatness of the Tamil language with them.
Astounded by the extraordinary creations of Tamil masterpieces with its poetic beauty, scintillating sacred emotions outpouring in divine devotion, and by the linguistic genius itself, the Pope was much taken aback. He was interested in Saivism and wished to translate into English, the literatures par-excellence:

1. Thirukkural (1330 rhyming Tamil couplets) by Thiruvalluvar
2. Thiruvasagam (lit. sacred utterances, hymns) by Manikkavacakar
3. Naladiyaar (Tamil poetic work) by Jain monks

When Dr. Pope expressed this desire to the Guru Maha Sannidhanam he was very delighted. With an intent to make these great Tamil works available and cherished by all people of the West and for posterity, Guru Sannidhanam instantaneously gave his blessings and approval to immediately start this sacred work, giving Dr. Pope the support and encouragement.
He completed his translation of Tirukkural on September 1, 1886. His Sacred Kural contains introduction, grammar, translation, notes, lexicon and concordance. He had, by February 1893, translated Naaladiyaar(நாலடியார்), a didactic work of moral sayings in quatrains, 400 in number in 40 chapters, each by a Jain ascetic, according to a Tamil tradition.

Accordingly, when Rev. Dr. G.U. Pope submitted the 3 translations to the Guru Maha Sanidhanam, he jubilantly praised the Pope for his triumph in this great work and honoured him with the name “Saiva Siddhanta Maharadi” and felicitated him with a shawl, as per the history of the Aadheenam.
His efforts were recognized by the Royal Asiatic Society in the form of a gold medal. His magnum opus, the translation of Tiruvachakam (திருவாசகம்) appeared in 1900. Of this he said: “I date this on my eightieth birthday. I find, by reference, that my first Tamil lesson was in 1837. This ends, as I suppose a long life of devotion to Tamil studies. It is not without deep emotion that I thus bring to a close my life’s literary work”.
 

Sirkazhi Muncip – Veda Nayakam Pillai

Sirkazhi Muncip Vedanayagam Pillai was not only a Tamil Pandit but also a good writer and orator. Pillai, who was born on 14^th Oct 1826 in Kulathur, Trichy dt. was doing his great service as a Magistrate, which includes Mayuram and Tharangambadi. He used to analyze where is justice, who has filed the case, the person’s profile, and the type of person accused and unbiased and honest justice was done with proper judgment.
He visited Madurai Aadheenam in 1860 and discussed about the founding reviver of the Madurai Aadheenam, the King of Saivism, Thiru Jnana Sambandhar’s history. He also discussed about the “Thevaram” written by him and also about the greatness of ‘Saiva Siddhanta’ with the 289^th Guru Maha Sannidhanam ‘Rao Bahadur’ Srila Sri Swaminatha Sri Jnana Sambanda Desika Paramacharya Swamigal. Later due to Tamil and spiritual interest he wrote some great books, among which the popular small spiritual literature books are:

1. Vedamadha Anthathi
2. Periyanagi Ambal Pathigam

He was also well-versed and interested in music. As evidence to this, his books are named with the word ‘keertana’ meaning ‘divine singing’:

1. Sarva Samaya Keertana
2. Satya Veda Keertana

He was also a great thinker. Veda Nayakam Pillai used to say “money is needed to run the life”. But we cannot achieve all with money alone. He exclaimed, “Oh money! What is your character? It is enough if we get the basic necessities like food, clothes and shelter without any obstacles”. He also insisted that man should feel content with these necessities. Such a great Muncip Veda Nayakam’s fame will ever remain in the Tamil world.

Father Seagan Paulgu

Protestant Christian Father Seagan Paulgu came to Tamilnadu in 1705 at Tharangam Padi. He had visited our 279^th Guru Maha Sannidhanam, Srila Sri Shivagnana Sri Jnanasambanda Desika Paramacharya Swamigal. He learnt about Madurai Aadheenam’s first pontiff, Thiru Jnanasambandar and His efforts to revive the royal glory of Veda Neri, vedic tradition.  He had studied Tamil systematically and had translated the Gospel in Tamil.
He wrote “Comparative study of Tamil and Latin”, the research book which highlights the richness of the Tamil language.

Commander Masikapoor of Shahen Shah Aurangazeb’s Visit

The Commander Masikapoor of the Emperor Aurangzeb visited our 237^th Guru Maha Sannidhanam Srila Sri Mithiyeshwara Sri Jnana Sambanda Desika Paramacharya Swamigaland they had a long sitting of sharing many avenues of their interests.
Commander had presented an “Ivory Paduka” to our 237^th Guru Maha Sannidhanam. Together with big silver places for Naivedyam (sacred food offered to divine), full set of Sodasa Upachara Pooja/Deeparadhandi, silver glasses, jugs etc and two Rajasthan horses for Rishi and palaquin for relaxing after long travels.
These are all historical recordings.

 Western Christian Priest’s Visit

For spreading Christianity in India Western priests had sittings with our Guru Maha Sannidhanam and discussed the avenues of religions’ cordial harmony. Details are as under:
Fr. Robert D. Nobily, born in Rome in 1577 September, a philosophical priest came to Goa on May 20th 1605. On 15^th November 1605, he had visited Madurai Aadheenam.
From the people of Madurai he heard about the sacred Sri Meenakshi Sundareshwara temple and Madurai Aadheenam, which was established by Sirgazhi born Guru Maha Sannidhanam Thiru Jnana Sambandar.
F. Robert was pleased and visited the temple as well as our Aadheenam during the rule of our 230^th Guru Maha Sannidhanam Srila Sri Jnana Bhotaha Sri Jnana Sambanda Desika Paramacharya Swamigal and had discussions on common interests. Fr. Robert D. Nobily was in love with Tamil and learned it well.
“Most beautiful, rich, cultures”, he gloried thus the hallowed divine Tamil culture in Western countries. Throughout his lifetime he had the practice of speaking and writing in Tamil language.