00:00 (Speaking in Tamil - not transcribed)
00:05 But you… a place matra, you prove on that it is Rama Lidda, I can… I'll tell you Jagad.
00:11 (Speaking in Tamil - not transcribed)
00:31 Tracing the footsteps of Sri Ram, Devi Sita and Lakshman, we come to the quaint western
00:37 heart canopied town of Chikmangalur in Karnataka, where the oldest temple of Sri Ram stands
00:44 testimony to the devotion of the people for their Lord. Here, there is no tradition as
00:49 timeless as Bhakti.
00:51 (Music)
01:04 Chikmangalur, known to most for its coffee plantations and lush green vistas, is enchanted,
01:10 is enhanced in beauty to the visitor when one comes with humble obeisance in their hearts,
01:17 as if a special boon of Sri Ram magnifies the glory of the surroundings tenfold when
01:23 the beholder takes the Ram Naam. It is where the famed Sringeri Sharda Peet has been established,
01:30 besides many other significant temples and religious sites, a large number of them built
01:36 during the Hoysala reign of Karnataka during the 10th to 14th century.
01:41 (Music)
01:51 Perhaps lesser known to outsiders is this lovely shrine dedicated to Ram, the Kodandarama
01:58 Swami temple that venerates the three legendary icons in an image depicting them prior to
02:04 their exile to the forest. It is believed that this temple was erected at the place
02:10 where Devi Sita and Sri Ram stood side by side to give their combined darshan to Parashuram
02:18 upon his request to the duo after he realized Ram is none other than Maha Vishnu.
02:25 As the Ramayana tells us, Parashuram was enraged that Ram, a Kshatriya, broke the Shiva dhanu.
02:32 Some say, to test his prowess, Parashuram handed him Sharanga, Vishnu's bow. As he
02:39 wielded it with ease, Parashuram realized that the seventh avatar of Vishnu had dawned
02:46 in the form of the Kshatriya prince. Others say there was a fight between them, which
02:52 Ram won, thus convincing Parashuram that he is the next avatar of Lord Vishnu.
02:58 Ram and Sita Lakshmana are not standing straight. They are standing in a triangle.
03:02 Their feet are bent and their heads are spinning.
03:05 This is called a triangle.
03:07 As they stand in a triangle, the feet of Ramachandra and Sita Lakshmana are slightly bent.
03:12 This is another specialty.
03:14 Another specialty is that we see Ram's hands in our temple.
03:17 In all the temples, they have only a bow.
03:20 In the Balagai Anjaneya's temple, they have a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other.
03:24 Ramachandra is standing with one hand holding a bow and the other hand holding an arrow.
03:28 This is another specialty.
03:30 Another specialty is that we do not see any weapons in the hands of Ramachandra and Lakshmana Swamy.
03:34 In our temple.
03:35 The reason for this is that all the priests have got married and are going to their own village from Mithilapuram to Ayodhya.
03:40 No one is carrying weapons in their own marriage.
03:43 It was not necessary to go to their village after marriage.
03:46 Ram does not know that Parashuram will come and fight on the way.
03:50 So, the war is not going to happen.
03:52 There are no weapons in the hands. This is another specialty.
03:54 In the left hand, we see Ram's bow.
03:57 The bow is called Kodanda.
03:59 Kodanda Ram is standing with it.
04:01 Kalyana Ram is blessing Parashurama with a marriage.
04:04 So, Kodanda Ram and Kalyana Ram are worshipped in both the names.
04:08 The sculptures of Ram, Sita and Lakshmana at Kodanda Ram Swamy temple are exquisitely carved from a single stone
04:16 with jewellery details painstakingly etched onto each of the three figures.
04:22 The temple architecture is of the Hoysala style with the Garbha Grih and Sukhanasi are inspired by other Dravidian styles.
04:32 [Prayer]
04:47 Later, additions to the temple were made in the 14th, 16th and 17th centuries.
04:53 Another notable fact about the deities is that their feet are not completely straight.
05:00 It is believed that this depicts their state of relaxation captured by this form.
05:06 [Prayer]
05:29 [Prayer]
05:50 The tide of time raises and erases kingdoms.
05:53 But there is no king like Ram, whose realm is the heart of his devotee.
05:58 From the Bhav Mandir of the mind to the Grand Temple in Ayodhya,
06:02 the just and honourable king of the people has blessed us anew to be able to house him in a permanent abode in his birthplace,
06:12 the capital of the erstwhile coastal kingdom, as millions of Indians revel in joy.
06:19 [Prayer]
06:36 I don't know, there is no word to describe the happiness about this.
06:40 It's ecstasy or what?
06:42 [Prayer]
06:46 [Prayer]
07:02 [Prayer]
07:22 Jai Shri Ram! Jai Shri Ram!
07:24 Just as Shri Ram's journey spanned the length and breadth of India, so did his bhakti travel in all directions.
07:31 The seventh avatar of Vishnu is no icon of theology, but the identity of this civilization.
07:39 From the artistically visceral portrayals of Ramayana in the arts of Bali, Java, Sumatra and Sri Lanka,
07:46 to Sita Devi's fervent worship in Nepal and Tibet,
07:50 it is no surprise that this land that once was graced by his footsteps
07:56 continues to imbibe in her sons and daughters fierce love for that prince of Ayodhya,
08:03 for his form, his feet, for his deeds, and now that Ram Bhakti does us reclaim.
08:11 No greater love than the love for his name.
08:15 [MUSIC]
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