The
soldiers however went inside found that the idol was not there. On hearing
the princess fainted and passed away at the temple entrance itself. Only the mortal
remains lay prostrate at the temple doorstep, her spirit or soul obviously with
the Lord. She thus showed the climax of love towards the idol, which was none else than
God himself in visible form. When they to know that the emperor had
sent his troops to get the idol back, troupe of songsters carrying the idol of Manavala
Perumal thought wise to disperse without going in a batch lest they should be readily
recognized.
At Tirupati they separated and left the idol in
the charge of one Kodavar, his son and his nephew. As the Mogul soldiers
were to locate the idol at Srirangam, they went on questioning the people. On the
way back to Delhi, they gathered the information that the idol was kept hidden the
Tirupati temple in Tirumalai Hills.
When this news reached Srirangam, the people there
did not readily believe it, as by then 60 years had elapsed, and the
persons connected with the incident were dead. The idol was not allowed to be taken to the
innermost precincts of the temple, but was allowed to be kept to the west of the Aryapatal
entrance in the third prakaram. |
