Vellaayi: The Tale of the Temple Idol’s 48-Year Hiatus from Srirangam
Did you know that the main idol of Srirangam Ranganathaswamy Temple was in Tirupati for 48 years? This happened in the 14th Century and it was taken there with great risk to be hidden.
But hidden from whom and why? How did a Devadasi’s help and sacrifice become so crucial in saving the idol?
This is the story of the (Audio) Book – Vellaayi, written by Raja Saravanan.
This Tamil Historical Fiction is based on true happenings, but an interesting tale is woven around those incidents.
What was Srirangam like in the 14th Century when the heydays of Cholas were over and the rule of Pandiyas was about to end?
The story brings the 14th Century Srirangam to life. It’s a treat to the senses and a well-written tale but I felt the characters could have displayed more shades of grey, which was the main attraction of the other similar historical fiction series I read recently – Ponniyin Selvan.
Although this book is available as a paperback on Amazon, I listened to the audiobook version on Storytel. They have used singers to sing the songs in the book and used music/sound effects appropriately.
When compared to the English audiobooks I listen to, which has a narrator just reading the story, these audiobooks almost resemble a movie without the visuals! I think, the same team that recorded Ponniyin Selvan audiobooks has recorded this one too. They’ve done a good job 🙂
Destination Infinity
This audiobook sounds interesting and should be nice time-travel to that period!
Yes. But it’s difficult to imagine how life might have been so many years ago.
Destination Infinity
It is interesting to know about this audiobook.
It’s interesting to read/listen to it too..
Destination Infinity
When I started to read your blog post, i was anticipating you will tell the whole story in a summary. Only at the end I realized it is a “book review”. Now my interested has grown, I will look for this book.
I knew about this incident already while researching for my non-fiction book. But when a story is woven around historical incidents like these, it becomes more interesting…
Destination Infinity