Alamelu
Encyclopedia
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
devi
Devi
Devī is the Sanskrit word for Goddess, used mostly in Hinduism, its related masculine term is deva. Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the female aspect of the divine, as conceptualized by the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She is the female counterpart without whom the male aspect, which represents...
. Believed to be a form of Lakshmi
Lakshmi
Lakshmi or Lakumi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity , light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments...
, the Hindu devi of wealth and good fortune, Alamelu is the consort of Sri Venkateshwara
Venkateshwara
Venkateswara also known as Srinivasa, Balaji, Venkata and Venkatachalapati , is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara means the Lord who destroys the sins of the people...
. The name Padmavati is Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
for "she who emerged from lotus
Lotus (plant)
Lotus identifies various plant taxa:* Nelumbo, a genus of aquatic plants with showy flowers** Nelumbo nucifera, the Sacred or Indian lotus** Nelumbo lutea, the American or Yellow lotus...
".
The main temple to Sri Alamelu is situated at Thiruchanoor
Thiruchanoor
Thiruchanoor is a large Suburban region in the temple city of Tirupati. It is recently clubbed with the Municipal Corporation of Tirupati and TUDA regions. The Suburban is also known as Alamelu Mangapuram....
, also known as Alamelu-Mangapuram, a suburb of Tirupati City. Tradition dictates that every pilgrim to Tirupati must offer obeisance at this temple after visiting the temple at Tirupati-Tirumala balaji.
Particular devotions
Alamelu Manga is a major deity in Hinduism worshipped as an aspect of Goddess LakshmiLakshmi
Lakshmi or Lakumi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity , light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments...
.The Tenkalai (Southern sect) Iyengars believe that her intercession is indispensable to gaining the favour of the lord. On the other hand, the Vadakalai
Vadakalai
Vadakalai , meaning Northern branch are a subsect of the Vaishnavite Iyengar community of Hindu Brahmins. In Sanskrit the Vadakalai are referred to as Uttara Kalārya . Vadakalais are followers of Ramanuja and Vedanta Desika....
sect believes that Lakshmi is subservient to Lord Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
. Sri Alamelu is the mother-goddess figure for staunch Sri Vaishnavites in particular and Hindus in general.
The great Vaishnavite saint and Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
Bhakti
Bhakti
In Hinduism Bhakti is religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine.Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Svayam Bhagavan.Bhakti can be used of either...
poet Sri Annamacharya
Annamacharya
Sri Tallapaka Annamacharya was the official songmaster of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, and a Telugu composer who composed around 36000 keertana songs, many of which were in praise of Venkateswara, the presiding deity of the temple...
, was a staunch devotee of Sri Alamelu Mangamma. Indeed, it is a rare composition of the great saint that does not invoke the benedictions of the goddess and sing her praises. Many of the most famous and popular Kritis of Annamacharya eulogize in loving adulation the many graces of his Ishta devata and the many boons she is wont to bestow with facile benevolence on her devotees.
Etymology
The name Alamelu Manga or more correctly Alarmel Mangai is a TamilTamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
term which translates to Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
Padmavati. The name is a conjoint of the words Alar (flower) and Mel (aloft or up); Mangai means "(auspicious) lady" in pure Tamil. Thus, Alarmel Mangai softened over time to Alamelu Manga translates to Lady of the Lotus which is the same meaning as the Sanskrit word Padmavati.
The name Alamelu has traditionally been a surpassingly popular one in south India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. Apart from that basic name, several variations are popular.
The word Mangai / Manga / Mangamma
Mangamma
Mangamma is the name of Alamelu. It may also refer to:* Mangamma, a 1997 Malayalam language film* Mangamma Gari Manavadu, a 1984 Telugu language film* Mangamma Sapatham or Mangamma Sabadham* Mangamma Sapatham , a Tamil language film...
(auspicious lady) very commonly forms part of many names.
Occasionally, this is replaced by the word Valli (literally: creeper or heather; compare Lata in Sanskrit), a metaphor for gentle lady in Tamil, to create the popular names Alarmel Valli
Alarmel Valli
Alarmel Valli is an Indian classical dancer and choreographer, and the foremost exponent of the Pandanallur style Indian classical dance form of Bharatnatyam and also her own distinctive style...
and Alamelu Valli. Of course, the name Alamelu is very generally used as a stand-alone name for girls.
See also
- AnnamacharyaAnnamacharyaSri Tallapaka Annamacharya was the official songmaster of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, and a Telugu composer who composed around 36000 keertana songs, many of which were in praise of Venkateswara, the presiding deity of the temple...
- LakshmiLakshmiLakshmi or Lakumi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity , light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments...
- Sri Padmavati Mahila VisvavidyalayamSri Padmavati Mahila VisvavidyalayamSri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam is a women's university in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established as a state University by the Andhra Pradesh legislature in 1983, named after the goddess Sri Padmavati, the consort of Lord Venkateswara...
, a university named after Padmavati - Tirumala - TirupatiTirumala - TirupatiTirupati is a major pilgrimage city located in the Chittoor district and seventh biggest city of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located at the foothills of the Eastern Ghats at a distance of south of Hyderabad, the capital of the state, east of Bangalore, and north of Chennai.Tirupati is famous...
- Tirupathi
- VenkateshwaraVenkateshwaraVenkateswara also known as Srinivasa, Balaji, Venkata and Venkatachalapati , is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara means the Lord who destroys the sins of the people...