The sacred 108

The Hindu

2 days ago

While there are many temples for Lord Narayana, there are 108, which are called Divya Desams, because they have been praised by the Azhvars. Pillai Perumal Iyengar, who came centuries after the Azhvars, wrote a work titled Nootrettu Tirupathi Andadi. This work is about the 108 kshetras praised by the Azhvars, said K.B. Devarajan in a discourse. Andadi is a genre of literature, where the last word of a verse becomes the first word of the succeeding verse.
Pillai Perumal Iyengar tells us the location of the 108 sacred places. He records that Chola Nadu has two score Divya Desams. That means Chola Nadu has 40 Divya Desams. Pandya Nadu has two times nine, that is 18 divya desams. Malai Nadu (Kerala) has 13 divya desams. The region between the south and north of Tamil Nadu has two temples. We get the number of temples in Tondai Nadu, that is the northern part of Tamil Nadu, by adding six to two times eight. In other words, Tondai Nadu has 22 divya desams. Divya desams to the north of Tamil Nadu are 12 in number, including Salagramam in Nepal, and Thirupparkadal. Sri Vaikuntha, the abode of Lord Narayana, is also added to the list, and that brings the total to 108 most sacred places.
Instead of blandly stating that there are 108 sacred places, Pillai Perumal Iyengar says it with rhyme and metre, making it easy to commit the locations to memory. Pillai Perumal Iyengar has praised these 108 places in his verses. Before he praises the deities of the various kshetras, he offers his salutations to the Azhvars. Among the Azhvars, he singles out Nammazhvar for special attention, dedicating one verse exclusively to him. This is followed by verses eulogising Acharyas like Ramanuja, Kooratazhhvan and Parasara Bhatta. The work begins with descriptions of the temples of Chola Nadu.