VELANKANNI

I tried to bring about little known facts about Velankanni.

VELANKANNI

https://ramamohanraocheruku.blogspot.com/2017/11/velankanni.html

Velankanni is a Christian pilgrimage site and the deity is called Lady of Good Health the Portuguese-style idol is dressed in an Indian Tamil-style sari and kept in a

glass box high above the church hall.

People atribute a story to this. A lady with a child in her loins asked a milk boy on the way for some milk to the child. The boy immediately did so and after a while when he opened the MILK-CAN he found milk to the brim. A Bacillica, which is yet to be recognised by the Vatican City, was erected over a period of time. —that is what most of us have been led to believe. However we will be surprised to know about its Saiva origins.

‘Kanni’ in Tamil means ‘Eyes or having eyes preceded by an adjective’. In the ‘agam’ poems of the Sangam corpus belonging to the ‘kuriñjithiṇai’, we find the name of an ancient lady poet bearing the name ‘Kama-kanni’ meaning ‘Kamakshi’.

 Let us now explore the meaning of ‘Velankanni’. It is etymologically derived from the old name ‘Vēlana-kaṇṇi’—a name by which Ambikā is known in the Dēvāram :

“Mālai mathiyoḍu nīraravampuṉai vārchaṭaiyāṉ
vēlanakaṇṇiyoḍum virumpummiḍam…”

— Srī Jñāna Sambandhar

Her eyes appearing like a spear-head (Blade) (Vel = spear normally referred as the weapon of kartikeya) eyes, she is also known as vēlaṉa-kaṇṇi. About 10 kilometers south of the site of the Veḷāṅkaṇṇi basilica, we find another town named ‘Karuṅkaṇṇi’ (“she who is black-eyed” karuppu = black, If we take it as Karuna it is compassion then).

Angayaṟkanni is Meenakshi. Like this we come across so many names of mata Parvathi related to her ‘Eyes’. This we will not find anywhere in in the references related to Christianity.

At Kōḍiyakkarai in the kuzhagar-ālayam, Ambā is known as maiyār-taṭaṅ-kaṇṇi. Chēramān Perumāḷ Nāyanār and Sundaramūrti Swāmi have arrived and worshipped together at this sthalam. Aruṇagirināthar has also composed hymns on this shrine. One can come across her other similar names such as Kāvyaṅkaṇṇi, Nīḷneḍuṅkaṇṇi, Vēlneḍuṅkaṇṇi, Varineḍuṅkaṇṇi, Vāḷārkaṇṇi, etc. Māṉeḍuṅkaṇṇi is another name—it means ‘she who has wide eyes like a deer’ (maan in Tamil = deer):

Thus have the saints who described the mother’s beautiful eyes laden with ‘Karuna’ (Compassion) using many epithets.

All these names are most certainly influenced by the Dēvāram. It was considered the duty of the king to inscribe at least one or two patikas (poems of the Tirumurai) on the paliṅku (marble) boards in every śivālaya—it was to demonstrate that the patika of the Devāram had an inseparable association with that town.

In almost all the shore- Siva temples, for the māsi-magha tīrthavāri, it is an ancient custom to take the deity’s utsava murtis (idols) to the seashore for a ritual immersion into the waters, and this tradition still prevails today.

Vēḷāṅkaṇṇi is also one among several seashore temples like Ādipurīśvara at Tiruvoṟṟiyūr, Kapālīśvara at Mylāpūr, Marundīśvara temple at Tiruvānmiyūr, Vēdapurīśvara temple in Pondicherry, Kāyārohaṇeśvara temple in Nāgapaṭṭanam, Kuzhagar temple in Kōḍiyakkarai, Vēdavananātha temple in Vēdāraṇyam, Darbhāraṇyeśvara temple in Kāraikkāl, Māsilāmaṇinātha temple in Puhār, which are situated along the southern coast.

There is a small town called Paravai about 2 kms west of Vēḷāṅkaṇṇi. Sundaramūrti Swāmi’s wife Paravai Nācciyār was born there. In Tamil, ocean is called Paravai. Upamanyu Bhakti Vilāsam refers to this lady as Sāgarikā. Since the ocean has retreated, the temple here is not situated close to the shore now like it once used to be.

Nāgūr has a shore-temple of Siva as Nāganātha (Lord of Nāgas) with goddess Nāgavalli. The town gets its name from the name of this deity. Associated with Kāmika-āgama, this is a very ancient temple. The Nagore Dargah (grave site of a Sufi dervish known locally as Nagūr-āṇḍavar i.e. the god of Nagūr) was established much later during the Maratha rule. The true nāgūr-āṇḍavar (god of Nagūr) was the consort of goddess Nāgavalli—Śri Nāganātha.

In the Nāgapattanam region, one of the 63 Nāyanmārs called Adipatta Nāyanār who was born in a fisher men family in a village called Nuzhaippāḍi by the seashore—where there exists a temple.

Before Lord Muruga (Skanda) went to war against the asuras, he is said to have got the blessings of d lord Siva at Tirucchendūr. Rāmeśvaram has the world-famous pilgrimage site where Lord Rāma sought the help of Śiva on his way to Laṅkā. Vāḷārkaṇṇi is just one more such shore temple like all these. 

VELANKANNI -- 2

When a building site in Velankanni was dug up to lay the foundations, Somaskanda, Rama, Goddess Sivakami, Saint Sundarar, Nartana Vinayaka and 13 other pañcaloha murtis were found. They have been deposited at Kilavelur Taluk Office.

Archeologists have found large number of daiva-vigrahas (Silas, శిలలు) and pañcaloha idols buried in this location. In the Vāḷārkaṇṇi town, there is another śivālaya called Rajatagirīśvara. Whether this is an ancient temple or a recently rebuilt one is yet to be established. If its origin is found, it is possible to unearth other bits of the place’s history.

 A few centuries back, when the Portuguese, Danish, and French invaded these shore sites, they vandalised several Hindu temples. Thousands of Brahmins were massacred by Portuguese in Goa. The actual name of Goa is Gomanthak Pura.  They also established Christian churches there. The demolition of the Kapaliswara temple at Chennai and the Vedapuriswara temple at Pondicherry are good examples of the level of Christian vandalism.

The Goa shores had several temples which were destroyed by the Portuguese. In 1567 Portuguese missionaries destroyed about 350 temples in Goa. In those times, Hindus were even forbidden to grow the tulasi (holy basil) plant.

Cultural appropriation by missionaries:

Wearing  saffron robes, building churches that resemble temple architecture, placing dhvaja sthambas in front of churches, deliberately using Sanskrit words like Vedāgamam, Suviseṣam, Agni, Abhiṣekam, Sarvāṅga dahana bali, flag hoisting, doing ratha yātras and other rituals are being appropriated and used specifically to lure Hindus into their religion, and this has been happening over centuries. One of the aspects of this deception involves clothing idols of Mother Mary in sarees according to the Tamil style and using the name of the local Hindu deity ‘Vēlana-kaṇṇi’ to refer to Mary as Vēḷāṅkaṇṇi. This is the truth.

Mother Umā is known as Periyanāyaki (Skt. bṛhannāyakī). In the famous Thanjāvūr temple, Siva is known by the name Bṛhadīśvara and his consort is called Bṛhannāyakī—and this is known to all. This name has been stolen without shame and used by missionaries as the name of Mary, as Periyanayaki-Mata.

Truth hurts. Christians have no reason to get annoyed. After insulting Hindu deities calling them devils, demons, etc—and on the other hand appropriating their names and symbols and using them in Christianity to refer to Jesus and Mary—this is in no way proper. They went to the extent of offering their hair that is tonsuring like in Tirumala, conducting naming ceremonies etc. near the place. Christians in Tamil Nadu who have a conscience should reflect on these things.

To be continued

Velankanni -- 3

Before I bring to your perusal of the last part of ‘VELANKANNI’ I would like to convey my feeling to the readers. I am not writing these things for myself, nor do I need any recognition there for. What all I wanted is to create awareness among the youth about the atrocities of the invaders for 800 long years. Unless you know your past, you cannot evolve the precautionary measures to stop the recurrence. I am not provoking you to revolt but I want you to be very vigilant. Now the pattern of warfare is changed. Now it is a mind game. Aming committed to the detriment of the others can never think of 'Harmony' 'Unity' 'Integration' but behind these veils they hatch plots for the impairment of our 'Sanathana Dharma'

That is why I recapitulate what I said with this Upanishad vakya which was frequently used by Swamy Vivekananda:

उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत,

क्षुरासन्न धारा निशिता दुरत्यदुर्गम पथ: तत् कवयो वदन्ति |

Uttisthata Jagrata Prapya Varannibodhata

Kshurasanna Dhara Nishita Dustayadurgama Pathah tat kavayo Vadanti

Arise! Awake! Approach the great and learn.

Like the sharp edge of a razor is that path, so the wise say−hard to tread and difficult to cross.

Now let us think of some questions on Velankanni.

Some Questions:

Today Velankanni has been promoted and established as an extremely popular Christian pilgrimage site. But the questions that probe how it came to be a Christian site remain.

Is there any Biblical proof to show that Velankanni is a Christian name?

Else who named it Velankanni? Were they Portuguese sailors, or the Papal authority in the Vatican? Or is it the missionaries who came later?

Is worshiping Mary as an independent deity (opposed in Trinitarian Christianity) acceptable to Biblical and Christian theology?

If this is a common Christian shrine, why don’t all sects of Christians come and worship here?

What is the relation between Arogya and the name Velankanni? (Arogya Matha—Lady of Health)

What is the relation between Velankanni and Lourdes of the East conceptually? Is there any tradition of flag hoisting and ratha yatras at other Lourdes shrines? Will European devotees of the Lady of the Lourdes shave their heads?

It has been accepted by Christians themselves that there is no basis for the apparitions of Mother Mary that are claimed to have occurred in Vēḷāṅkaṇṇi. That being the case, how did this church become ‘Lourdes of the East’?

Why is Mary, the Lady of the Lourdes, not commonly worshipped in other places as the Lady of Good Health?

Why did this site where many miracles are said to have occurred not gain the status of basilica until 1962? The miracles are claimed to be hundreds of years old, yet why did it not gain basilica status during British rule?

They say this holy site was believed to have mahima right from the start. Yet from Warren Hastings until Mountbatten, among the forty or so governor generals who ruled India, there is no record of any of them having visited the Lady of Health at Velankanni What is the reason for this contradiction?

Even those native Christian scholars such as Henry Albert Krishna Piḷḷai, who wrote Rakṣaṇya Yātrikam (a Tamil retelling of the ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’), Māyūram Vedanāyakam Piḷḷai, etc., who lived just a century ago do not appear to have mentioned anything about the Velankanni apparitions, or shaved their heads in Velankanni.

Even in the ‘Christian Songs’ book of Devaneya Pāvāṇar who passed away in 1981, there are no songs about Arogya Mātā (Lady of Health). Is there anything more to say?

Although large numbers of Indian Christians congregate and worship at the Velankanni Church, no pope has visited or prayed to Arogya Mātā. What is the reason?

Without the approval of the Holy See, how did this become a basilica?

Does Biblical authority support ostentatious rituals in worshiping Mary, as well as large celebrations such as what we see in Velankanni?

Only when someone looks for answers with substantive proofs for all these questions, Velankanni’s true history will be known. 

స్వస్తి. 

Satya Rama Prasad Kalluri

It is interesting to know that there is another place close by - 'Nagore,' a Muslim worship centre. Around the same place, we find Hindu temples too.

The speciality of Velankanni - Many practices of Hindus like tonsure (మ్రొక్కుగా పిల్లలు, పెద్దలు కూడా గుండుచేయించుకోవడంవంటివి) can be found here as modes of worship! Many Keralite Christians too visit this place for worship and offerings.

 · Reply · 4y · Edited

Cheruku Ramamohanrao

Once you read the full article you will come to know about all these things,

 · Reply · 4y

Satya Rama Prasad Kalluri

Very nice of you sir! Just I wanted to express my feeling before I forget. I do agree that you must have included all these items in your article definitely! Sorry for my undue haste, if you feel so.

 · Reply · 4y

Sastry Vemuri

Very good Sir, our ancients in how many million ways prayed to mother woman and praised in various forms Shakti Worship as first gene even in science as Mother bee and queen ant and the same in subsequent thought in faith was placed by mother herself to apportion by creating physically and mentally a man and served Man starting from Rama and yet not outside his appreciation like not in Parasurama role which ended with the advent of Sita and Sita eschewing the frailty of Parasurama's mother dazzled at Gandharva's ornamental gaudy ness not the simplicity of Tama and Sita who chose Forest life to that of pomp to respect parental desire and In Turn Rama worship of Siva because is the creator and preserver and destroyer variously called in his roles as creator Brahma , preserver Vishnu and destroyer Siva and not surprising in past all faiths Atleast not alloyed by rulers perfidious act and did not differentiate Diety as many than one in all forms and names .

Your description of the Velankanni temple illustrates same. Thank you

 · Reply · 4y · Edited

డా.వనదీప్ కలువగుంట

Sastry garu! This is not the spirit that Cheruku Ramamohanrao sir wants us to grasp here. It is the plot of the encroachment and deception of the conversion syndicate operating in this region with a global reach.

 · Reply · 4y

Cheruku Ramamohanrao

Yes Vanadeep. That is where I am. If the Sanatana Dharmis understand this I feel I have conquered the world.

 · Reply · 4y

డా.వనదీప్ కలువగుంట

Another example of deceiving Hindus through their usual copy - paste illegal business by engulfing the popular ancient and native legacy. These types of idolatry, rituals and pilgrimage are forbidden by Bible. Why are they doing it? It's an open secret. Velankanni, Karuna University and other parts of Coimbatore have become infested with conversion mafia in the guise of Hindu style worship, education, service and money as well as property transfer. The Isha foundation of Sri Jaggi Vasudev hampered their cunning tactics like anything. They started troubling Isha in every step by every possible legal and illegal means. Isha is the antidote that prevents this infection from spreading further and has indirectly prompted converted zombies also to turn towards Sanaatana Dharma. The recent row over Adi Yogi Statue sabotaged by that conversion mafia has ended in a fiasco. They are in utter despair, distress and frustration now. Now it's the turn of our dumb Hindus who visit Arogya Mata to refrain from doing so and instigate their fellow Dharmic ones to follow suit. Excellent information with precious knowledge of etymology sir! Thanks a lot.

 · Reply · 4y

Talisetti Venkata Subba Rao

A great eye opener info sir

3y

Abburi Nagabose

Very interesting .Thanks for elucidating the history of the place

 · Reply · 3y

Narasimman Harisubramanian

It is amazing to know that you are having such a knowledge of Tamil literature. Historians like romila tapar concoct our history. These are all nehruvian legacy

 · Reply · 3y

Cheruku Ramamohanrao

Thank You. It is Gods' grace.

 · Reply · 3y

Bhanuprasad Rentala

Please translate in Telugu

 · Reply · 3y

Cheruku Ramamohanrao

I regret to do so. ఎన్నుకొన్న భాషలో వ్రాయగలను. తర్జుమా చేసే వ్యవధి లేదని తెలుపుటకు చితించుచుున్నాను.

 · Reply · 3y

Ravi Chandra

Sir Vallu inkedo story chebutharu kadaa Edo. Pasuvula kaaparlaku emo kanipinchadantaru

 · Reply · 3y

Cheruku Ramamohanrao

Nenu vishadhamugaa 3, 4 bhaagaalugaa vraasinaanu. Poorthigaa chadivedi.

 · Reply · 3y

Savithri Bachimanchi

Very nice information

 · Reply · 3y

Talisetti Venkata Subba Rao

TQS for the good info on velankanni sir

3y

Somi Reddy Bhaktavatsala Reddy

It is visited by people of all religions. Universal brotherhood is practised .

 · Reply · 2y

Ankaraju Vadlamudi

Give it to some Tamil daily such that every tamilian know how Portuguese devoties worshipped our Hindu goddess ad their own by changing name into their accent.