A Note on the Śrīvaiṣṇava Śaṭhāri-crown

Abstract

This article investigates the śaṭhāri (also known as śaṭhakopam), a distinctive crown-like object bearing Nārāyaṇa's feet, used exclusively in Śrīvaiṣṇava temples to bless devotees. It explores the ritualistic practice of placing the śaṭhāri on the head, symbolizing the devotee's acceptance of the Lord's servitude and grace. The paper traces the appellation śaṭhāri to the Tamil saint-poet Nammāḻvār, who is considered the personification of Nārāyaṇa's feet, and notes that the practice extends to icons of other ācāryas and āḻvārs. While the worship of Viṣṇu's feet is widespread, the specific ritual of śaṭhāri-placing appears peculiar to Śrīvaiṣṇavism, with its earliest textual evidence found in the 12th-13th century commentary by Rāmānuja's disciple, Tirukkurukai Pirāṉ Piḷḷāṉ. The article concludes by highlighting the śaṭhāri's deep symbolic importance within the Śrīvaiṣṇava tradition and its limited adoption by other Vaiṣṇava schools.