Hṛttāpaśamana Tīrtha

Hṛttāpaśamana is a sacred water body, a tank or lake (sarovara), set up in the region of Rāmanāthapura near Kāñcī. The Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa tells of it in Chapter 18 of the Rājya Khaṇḍa.

Origin of the name

The name has three parts. Hṛt means the heart. Tāpa means anguish, or burning grief. Śamana means removing or calming. So Hṛttāpaśamana is “the tīrtha that removes the anguish of the heart.”

Where it was set up

The tīrtha was set up in the episode of Hanumān’s visit to Kāñcī. In that episode Hanumān stamped the Rāmamudrā (the seal of Rāma) on the śilāśāsana (stone inscription), which was the land grant for Rāmanāthapura. The Udārarāghava liṅga was also set up then. The land grant, the liṅga and the tīrtha belong to the same episode and are linked with Bhagavān Rāma’s presence and grace in the southern region.

Sources

• Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa, Rājya Khaṇḍa, Chapter 18