South India and her Muhammadan Invaders c13.s1.2.3

c13.s1.2.3

During their residence there, information reached them that the bulk of the citizens of Śrīrangam were massacred, the temple itself sacked and desecrated, and all those citizens that Lokāchārya knew and cared for had suffered death. On hearing this distressing account of what happened to his friends and companions he got ill and died. His companions stayed there till they completed the funeral ceremonies of their venerable leader, and marched across from there for greater safety to Sundarāchalam (Aḷagar-malai), where they stayed for about a year. Finding their position untenable even there, they marched down farther south by way of Eṭṭiyāpuram zamindari till they reached Āḷvār-Tirunagari and then across into the Travancore country. Going along from temple to temple of the Vaishṇava holy places on the west coast they reached at last Calicut. Starting from there again after some time they got into the Mysore country and stayed a short time in Terukkaṇāmbi. Setting forward therefrom again they reached as far as Punganur, apparently towards Tirupati. Finding the march dangerous, they retreated towards Tirunārāyaṇapuram (Melkoṭṭai), where they remained for some considerable length of time. When they felt the road ways safe, they carried the image across to Tirupati. The story closes that from Tirupati, the image was taken over to Ginji by Gopana and ultimately got back to Śrīrangam.