Annual Visit of Sri Nadadoor Ammal Thirumaligai Acharya and Perumal to Pallagacheri

Pallagacheri is a serene village near Thiagadurgam, a town on Chennai – Salem highway. This village is home to a large number of Sri Vasihnavas, whose Acharyas have been descendants of Nadadoor Ammal from time immemorial.

Sri. U.Ve. Nachiyar Kovil Nadadoor Sri Krishnamacharya Mahadesikan was the Acharya of the previous generation of Sri Vaishnavas in this village. Thereafter his son, Sri. U.Ve. Nachiyar Kovil Nadadoor Raghavacharya Mahadesikan was their Acharya. After him, his descendants could not take up this responsibility.

But the Sri Vaishnavas of this village felt that they should maintain this ancient tradition of having someone from amongst the descendent of Sri Nadadoor Ammal as their Acharya, as this system was established by Bhagavad Ramanuja himself.

Bhagavad Ramanuja had established seventy four Simhasanadhipathis and their descendants as hereditary Acharya Purushas, to take forward the duty of spreading the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya after him. The Nadadoor clan which also bears the epithet “Sri Bhashya Simhasanam” was one of the prominent family among the seventy four Simhasanadhipatis.

The Sri Vaishanavas of the village enquired around to check if there were any other descendents of Sri Nadadoor Ammal who could take up this responsibility. They then got to know about Sri U.Ve. Ashukavi Sarvabhuama Villur Nadadoor Srinivasaraghava Mahadesikan popularly known as Srinidhi Swami, who hailed from the Villur branch of Nadadoor clan and approached him to be their Acharya. To which the Swami consented. After Sri U.Ve. Ashukavi Sarvabhuama Villur Nadadoor Srinivasaraghava Mahadesikan, his son Sri U.Ve. Villur Nadadoor Karunakaracharya Mahadesikan continued to be the Acharya of Sri Vaishnavas of Pallagacheri.

Pallagecheri village, has a temple dedicated to Perundevi Nayika Sametha Varadaraja Swamy. Every year, on 5th of Tamil month Thai, Teertha Vari of this temple’s deities on the banks of huge lake adjoining the village. The banks of the lake are in form of a huge Pallaku or Palanquin hence the village got the name Pallagecheri, according to the elders of the village.

The villagers wished to have Sri Nadadoor Ammal Thirumaligai also to be present at the village during this Teertha Vaari. Accordingly, since the year 2001, Sri U.Ve. Villur Nadadoor Karunakaracharya Mahadesikan, would visit the village, along with Sri Suvarnalakshmidhara Navaneetha Nata Swami, the presiding deity of Sri Nadadoor Ammal Thirumaligai.

For past 20 years, Swami would travel in his Sribhashya Simhasana Vimanam along with Sri Navaneetha Nata Swam, and arrive on the night of 4th of Thai month. The villagers would accord him a grand welcome at the entrance of the village itself with Poorna Kumbham, Chattra and Chamara, along with recital of Swasti Vachanam and bursting of ceremonial fireworks.

This will be followed by Mangala Harathi at each home of the Agrahara and then Swami would perform Mangalashasanam at Perundevi Nayika Sametha Varadaraja Swamy temple.