Ugra Srinivasa

Ugra Srinivasais one of the idols in theTirumala Venkateswara TempleatTirumala,Andhra Pradesh.Ugrameans anger and the idol which was originally calledVenkatatturaivaris supposed to represent the anger aspect ofLord Venkateswara.He is also known asSnapana Murti.

Legend

Legend has it that fire broke out in the village destroying houses duringBrahmotsavamat Tirumala in the 14th century A.D. When prayers were offered to the God, a vision appeared to a devotee with a message from Lord Srinivasa himself. With the change in times, theUgra Srinivasaidol could no longer remain the procession idol and a new idol would be found asutsava murti(Malayappa swami). TheUgra Srinivasaidol is no longer brought out of the temple after sunrise and it is believed that sunrays touching the idol would spark fire in the temple complex.

History

Apart fromDhruva Bera,the idol ofUgra Srinivasais the oldest idol in the temple. The date when the idol was consecrated is unknown though records indicate that the idol existed much before theBhoga Srinivasawas presented in the 10th century AD. Records show that the idol was used asutsava murtitill the 14th century whenMalayappa swamiwas found and used as utsava murti.

The nameVenkatatturaivarmeans 'resident Godhead of Venkatam' inTamillanguage.

Worship

The idol is about 18 inches long and has a base pedestal 7 inches high. TheSudarshana Chakrain the hand of the Lord is calledPrayoga Chakraas it is in a slightly tilted way as if ready for use.The idol has frowning eyebrows to represent an angry face.BhudeviandSrideviare also found as standing figures and have the same frowning eyebrows.

The worship is proportioned solely to this idol on three occasions in a year -Uttana Ekadasi,Mukkoti DvadasiandDvadasaradhana.The idol is bought in procession at wee hours only onKaisika Dvadasi(also known asMukkoti Dvadasi)while the idol is worshipped inside the temple complex on the remaining two occasions.

Relevance of Kaisika Dwadasi

Sri VaishnavascalledPrabodhotsavaorUttana DvadasiasKaisika Dvadasi.On the Uttana Dvadasi, preparations are made for wakingLord Vishnu,who went to sleep onAshada Sukla Ekadasi(Vishnu Sayana Ekadasi). Among Sri Vaishnavas, this dvadasi is known as Kaisika dvadasi named after the ragam of a song which was used last in praise of the Lordby devotee ChandalaBhakta Nambaduvan.Bhakta Nambaduvan kept his word and returned to aRakshasa(demon) to offer his body to be devoured as food by the hungry Rakshasa. The reading of the Kaisika Puranam, which is specially composed in a dialect which is a mixture (manipravalam) of Sanskrit and Tamil or Telugu interspersed with Sanskrit quotations and vernacular explanations is the special feature of the early hours of the morning before day break.