Ponniyin Selvan Varalaatru Peravai

Devaprayag:

Kandam ennum kadinagar in Tamil.

Here Ganga from Gangotri - called Bhagirathi till this place -and Alakanda join together and from here on the river is called Ganga.

Ganga with her crystal clear water is coming ferotiously to meet Alakanada. Alakanada starting above Badri, rushes downstream and on the way joins with four more rivers( which are also Prayagsnamely Nanda Prayag, karna Prayag, Rudra Prayag and Vishnu Prayag). Bhagirathi looks emerald green and Alakananda is brownish and the sangam offers a spectacular view. ( see images)

Lord Rama is enshirined on the banks. The Murti is around 3.5" feet tall. The temple is also called Ragunathji mandir. In North Rama is also called Maryada Purushotham.

Periyalwar ( according to legends) was requested to visit this place when the region went through a severe draught. He Visited and heavy rains lashed the place.

He sang on the Lord here using both the names as Rama and Purushothama.

தங்கையைமூக்கும்தமையனைத்தலையும்தடிந்த எம்தாசரதிபோய்
எங்கும்தன்புகழாவிருந்துஅரசாண்ட எம்புருடோ த்தமனிருக்கை
கங்கைகங்கையென்றவாசகத்தாலே கடுவினைகளைந்திடுகிற்கும்
கங்கையின்கரைமேல்கைதொழநின்ற கண்டமென்னும்கடிநகரே


1. The lord cut the sister's nose and brother's head

2. It is the place of dasarathi, purushothama

3. By saying Ganga Ganga, one's bad karma are all washed

4. நலம்திகழ்சடையான்முடிக்கொன்றைமலரும் நாரணன்பாதத்துழாயும்
கலந்திழிபுனலால்புகர்படுகங்கை In Ganga - Siva's Kondrai and Vishnu's Thulasi are flowing in the water ( You can see lot of Kondrai trees fully blossomed all the way from Haridwar to Devprayag and the water carries the Kondrai flowers)

5. Ganga - flowing through - Brahma's hand, Vishnu's feets and Sankara's head.சதுமுகன்கையில்சதுப்புயன்தாளில் சங்கரன்சடையினில்தங்கி

Read the pasurams and enjoy the beauty.The pauram is sung equally on both Rama, the Purushothama and Ganga.

http://www.kamakoti.org/tamil/divya52.htm

( This is one Rama temple - though in North - Sung in Tamil by Alwar. )

Thanks to this series. We took this trip and were blessed with the darshan and bathing at this sangam and the "Sudha Ganga- Bhagirathi"


It is interesting to note that a Poet from South Tamilnadu visited this place in 8th AD . This place has many 4th Century Brahmi inscriptions on the rocks which act as the outer walls. I took the photographs. I searched many places for the meaning and finally found at Epigraphica Indica.

These were brahmi of Southern type.

Sri. Ch. Chabra presents these in Epigraphica Indica volume 30. He observes:

“ Since the possibility of Southerners coming here is remote and such type is available in Central parts too. Also the names are commonto Gupta period.”

These small epigraphs found all over the places in the rocks like what we find now on walls.

They are

1.Manaparvatah – This is the name of mountain beyond Badrinath near which Alakananda originates.

2. Then various names – Matridattah, Matri (tri)chetasaya, Isavaradasah, Hiranya, Kattukam(bha), Yajna, Sri Guhavarmah, Guhavarmmah, Guhavarm(m)a Adityava(rmma), Aditya, Guhisvaradatta, (Gu)heswaradatta(s)ya, Sri Rudravarm(m)ah, Skandadatta, Rudravriddhi, (A)dishtana, Chaturvy(u)ha, Bhadrabala.

Sri Chabra feels, these people must be tourists and the rock indicates a water flow. He feels it must be a small water flow, where devotees had a bath.