Adjacent to
the Sangeeta Bhandara in the northern corridor of the
Vimana Pradakshinam is the shrine of Sri Ramanuja, the
great Vaishnava Acharya. It is also called the Bhashyakara
Sannidhi.
Ramanuja was the architect of Tirupati
and the father of the Sri Vaishnava community there.
He designed the Nandanavanams or flower gardens of the
temple. He was mainly responsible for managing the worship
procedures and other affairs of the Sri Venkateswara
temple.
The shrine was built around the
13th century. It overlooks the western end of the Tirumamani
Mandapam. The Pandyan emblem of two fish and a hook
is carved on the wall next to the entrance.
The right hand of the stone image
of Ramanuja is held in the gesture of exposition (vyakhyana
mudra), and the left hand in the form of boon bestowal
(varada hasta), or of holding a book (pustaka
hasta).
The shrine figures prominently during
the festival of Adhyayanotsavam, which is a typical
Pancharatra observance. Special worship is conducted
in this shrine during Gandhapodi Utsavam and Bhashyakara
Utsavam. The utsava murthi of Ramanuja is taken
in a grand procession to meet Malayappa near the Padi
Kavali.
