SRIRANGAM

When Kamalavalli was engaged in sports with her friends one-day, Ranganatha riding horse went that way on his usual visit to the neighboring Pala Teertham. On seeing Ranganatha on horseback, Kamalavalli fell in Iove with him. Virgin Kamalavalli went on admiring Ranganatha and him in her mind's eye as her future husband.

Like lovesick persons took the first sight so seriously that she gave up food and drink. This Caused anxiety to her foster- father Nanda Chola who, on inquiry, learnt of the love episode. Nanda Chola was greatly pleased to hear that his daughter had fallen in love with Lord Ranganatha, the tutelary deity of the family. He consummated the marriage with great pomp. When Kamalavalli, the heaven-born daughter of Nanda Chola, was taken inside
the sanctum sanctorum, she merged with Lord Ranganatha in a blaze of light. This incident turned the mind of the Chola and
he began to  spend all his wealth in
developing the temple and performing the rites and rituals connected therewith.

The soldier searched the temple but could
not locate the idol, as Kodavar had scent of the visit of the Mogul soldiers and removed the idol elsewhere an directed his nephew and son to lie in ambush
in the neighborhood Kodayar, in his determination to save the idol, got down a precipice hold ing a creeper in one hand and pressing the idol nearest to his heart in the other, and landed safely in a cave
down below.

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