Sriperumbudur
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Sriperumbudur
Town in the Conjeeveram taluk of Chingleput District, Madras, situated in 12° 59' N. and 79° 57' E., on the western trunk road 25 miles west-south-west of Madras city. Population (1901), 5,481. It is important as the birthplace, about a. d. 1016, of Sri Ramanujacharya, the great religious reformer of the Vaishnav sect. A shrine to him in the town attracts an immense number of pilgrims from all India. It is executed in the beautiful style of early Vijayanagar architecture, and the sculpture is excellent. Ramanuja, a Brahman by birth, was noted even as a boy for his studious habits and meditative reserve. When a youth he went to Conjeeveram to study under Yadava Prakasa, the great teacher of the Advaita system of thought, which was adopted mostly by the devotees of Siva. But he grew to differ from his master, and, attaching himself to the then rising Vaish- navite creed, wrote commentaries embodying the principles of what is known as the Visishta- Advaita philosophy, or ' qualified non-dualism.' In contradistinction to the professors of the Advaita doctrine, he held that the divine soul and the human soul are not absolutely one, but are closely connected. According to him, everlasting happiness was not to be obtained by knowledge alone, however profound ; a devout observ- ance of public and private worship was likewise essential. His culture and personal charm drew around him a host of disciples ; and in his lifetime he founded no less than 700 colleges, and sought to secure the permanence of his system by establishing 89 hereditary priestships, several of which still exist. While returning to Srirangam from a tour, he was confronted by an edict of the Chola king requiring the signature of all Brahmans in his dominions to a profession of the Saivite religion. Ramanuja resisted and fled, and found an asylum with Vittala Deva, the Jain king of Mysore, whom he converted. After twelve years in Mysore, the death of the Chola king enabled Ramanuja to return to Srirangam, where he died.