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The night of the rishaba vahanam

March 22, 2013, 9:44 pm
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The mada veedhis came alive last night and early this morning. While the rest of the Mylapore neighborhood rested from the labours of the week.

It was the night of the grand rishaba vahanam, a  procession that many people may well be at to listen to the musicians - the bandwallahs and the nadaswaram artistes perform for the gods.

At 11 p.m. on Friday, hundreds of people were in slumber inside the temple and under the canopy outside, to rest before the procession was to begin close to midnight.

The vahanam sat in the eastern end of the temple campus, close to the main gate here while the gods took their place in the mantap that lines the north wall. Through the night, rituals went on and people  filed past the gods. And close to midnight, the procession began.

By 5 a.m. the procession ended at Sannidhi Street - over 2,000 people filled the square as the gods rested under the 16-pillar mantap here. It was a quiet Saturday morning. And for all those who found space around the mantap and near the gate, there was a spectacle - the Lord enjoying the swings of a dance as his carriers swung to the music of the nadaswaram and the band - playing the English tune - For he is a jolly good fellow!.

A jolly way to go back to His abode in Mylapore.
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Kapali! Kapaleee!! The day of the ther

March 23, 2013, 10:05 pm
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Kapali! Kapalee!!
Kapali! Kapalee!!

The people roared. And the roar rolled as the 'ther' rolled out of its permanent shed on East Mada Street and headed south.
It was a shade after 9 a.m. and a young man standing on top of the ther, waved the green flag to tell his team of volunteers below that it was time to roll the chariot.

What was a mere wooden shell now looked colorful and decorated, with the Lord in his seat, scarcely seen by the crowds below. This is not the biggest and most impressive ther in this part of the world but when it is decorated, it catches everybody's eyes.

This being Sunday, the crowd was large but mainly crowded around the ther. The mada veedis, shut from traffic of all kinds and a huge posse of policemen made it easy for people to double down to Sannidhi Square.

The hawkers were here early - men and women selling sweetmeats like cumaracut, kolam designers and shiny bow and arrows . . .

A earth digger of the city's civic body moved behind the ther - it looked out of place. The driver then told us that it would be around to help if the wheels of the ther got stuck in  loose tar on the veedhis

Excited women chose to push the ther carrying the ambal; some took turns to place their kids on the ther.

A loud commentary ran on the public address system but it jarred the solemnity of this occasion.

Families and friends of residents who live on the veedhis had picked sweet spots on their balconies and terraces. As the ther rolled down to the junction of Pitchu Pillai Street and Sundareswarar Street, we moved out to the pavement - people from terrace tops usually throw bucketsful of water on the processionists - to keep them cool!

Yes, Chennai's temperature at 9.30 a.m. would have been closer to 30 degrees. The diehard followers of the ther wouldn't mind the shower at every stop!

Families who live closeby stepped out to make their offerings when the chariot stopped. On their faces, real devotion and eyes closed in prayer.

It will be late evening when the procession returns to the temple today. But through the day, people will head to various spots on the veedhis to offer prayers and watch what is Mylapore's biggest religious fest.

In the by-streets - Mathala Narayana Street - groups had put out tables and receptacles - to serve buttermilk to people returning from the there. Further down, a huge vessel with hot kesari got hauled up on a table. And the spicy flavours of sambar sadam cooking inside a house wafted in the air.

Traffic jammed on Kutchery Road - AIADMK Member of Parliament Maithreyan jumped into his car and sped away. Justice Prabha Sridevan got out of her car and walked down to the temple side.

And at Luz Circle, we saw Catholic families who had attended the Palm Sunday Holy Mass at the start of the Holy Week that leads to Good Friday and Easter. They were going home after Mass at Our Lady of Light Church, popularly called Luz Church, some 100 metres west of the Circle.




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Photos of 'ther' Sunday

March 23, 2013, 10:23 pm
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Share your memories of this fest!!

March 23, 2013, 10:27 pm
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While you enjoy our reportage of the festival, take some time off to share your wistful memories of the fest. Times in the 60s and 70s when you soaked in this event.
Childhood memories.
Family memories.
Mail us 4/6 lines that we can post on this blog.
And if you have some wow pictures to share, do mail them too - with captions.

Mail to - mytimesedit@gmail.com
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Sunday evening; Mylapore turns into a mela zone

March 24, 2013, 10:00 pm
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We went back to the mada veedhis on Sunday evening.
Mylapore had changed in 8 hours ; it was now a village festival zone.

The local Nadar sangham had erected a pandal alongside the Chitrakulam on its north side for its free food distribution on Monday. On its edge, two men circulated printed post cards - they were on a campaign to ask the chief minister to shut down liquor shops.

Tired, sweaty policemen and women chatted in small groups, contended that though East Mada Veedhi was packed with bodies, life flowed smoothly.

By now, hawkers had created another row of stalls on both sides of the road - snacks, toys, pottus, plastic, merry-go-rounds. . .Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan had shut its gates and even the watchman had gone home.

Finding a spot to stay put was difficult - the street sides were littered with leftover food, paper plates and cups and promo handbills and a putrid smell spread around us.

 We took a position at the Vanniyar Sangham hall opposite the Rasi store and stared at the scenes at the base of the there that was now parked in its shed, now open.

Hundreds of people elbowed others, raised their plate of flowers and coconuts and inched forward to the ther to get the little boys on top to make their offering to the Lord. This was pure chaos but the little boys did a great job swiftly.

A couple raised their baby with both their hands, and inched towards the chariot, hoping the boys would pick it up and take it closer to the Lord. It coudn't happen in that swaying mass of bodies.

Behind the chariot, three queues of people climbed up from the western side to make offerings. A team of nadaswaram artistes snaked its way into the temple for the evening concert.

As dusk fell, the crowds increased. But there was a certain order all around the temple zone.
And for children this was a different Sunday - out on the veedhis.
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Video of 'ther' procession

March 25, 2013, 8:49 am
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The nayanmars in procession on a hot, sticky afternoon

March 25, 2013, 9:05 am
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Roads and streets choked in central Mylapore and the neighbourhood prepared to celebrate the colourful arabathumoovar procession.

Food and buttermilk stalls were in business from 11 a.m. sharing food and drink with people around them and those headed to the Sri Kapali Temple.

The fascinating part of the arabathumoovar is in the morning when the nayanmars are prepared for the procession. There is a simple saintliness about this morning session. While hundreds of people flood the temple and go around, the images reflect what the saints were - yogis.

The summer heat made this a sticky morning but it did not discourage hundreds of people from heading for the procession this afternoon.




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Stage set for the 'thirukalyanam'

March 27, 2013, 5:31 am
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Tonight will be  grand. A celebration that befits a wedding. And this will be a wedding of the Lord.
The stage is now set for the Thirukalyanam which will officially begin at 10 p.m. on March 27, Wednesday.

Through the day, flower decorators were at work on all fronts in the north eastern section of Sri Kapali Temple where the kalyanam is performed.

Barricades are in place to allow the early devotees to squat on the floor and have a good, close view of this spectacle. A stage has been set for the nadaswaram artistes to perform.

This will be the crowning glory of the panguni celebration.
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Photos taken at the 'Thirukalyanam'

March 27, 2013, 11:41 pm
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Panguni Fest 2014; key dates

March 7, 2014, 11:26 pm
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Here are the key dates for the Panguni festival.
March 7 - Flag hoisting ( kodiyetram)
March 9, 6 a.m. – Adhikara Nandhi procession
March 11, night -  Rishaba Vahanam
March 13, 8.30 a.m. – Thiruther procession
March 14, 3 p.m. – Arubathu Moovar procession
March 16, 6 p.m. Thirukalyanam

The vidyarti dance/music fest will follow after a day's break of the religious events at the temple campus. Some of the best known artistes will perform here every evening.
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Flag hoisting on a cool Friday morn . .

March 7, 2014, 11:51 pm
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The buzz around the Kolavizhi Amman Temple, on the north side of Kutchery Road is enough to tell you that the Panguni fest is on. 
The rituals to the grams devathai, in keeping with the old traditions is some thing you will want to watch as it unfolds if you wish to get close to these ancient rituals taking place in the heart of the metro.
Then, the massive procession, fairly common in the area of women and kids carrying 1008 milk pots ( paal kudam) took place here, another tradition that falls on the eve of the Panguni fest.
The more formal start of the Panguni festival at Sri Kapali Temple took place  on Friday morning when the flag-hoisting ceremony was conducted. 
By 8.30 a.m. a large number of devotees filled the space around the flag staff in the western side of the temple. A special enclosure near here was created for seniors and guests of the temple.
A series of rituals were held culminating in the hoisting of the flag.
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Nature connect . . .

March 8, 2014, 12:23 am
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The festival may have its big processions, which are the show stealers if one may use that word. They attract hundreds and hundreds of people from all over. They create the mela atmosphere.

But there are many other rituals that take place every day, morn, noon and evening.
On Friday night, there was a nice ritual that was held before the evening mada veedhi procession.

Three artificial trees, just small models - punnai, karpagam and vengai - were placed in the open and the images of Kapaleeswarar, Karpagambal and Murugan were placed in the 'trees' and rituals held. Thereafter, the three images were taken out in a procession that lasted about an hour.
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Works of craft? Art?

March 8, 2014, 1:15 am
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For goddess Karpagambal, her devotees have a new designed jaddai every morning and evening.
Photographer R. Saravanan shot these on Friday evening and Saturday morning.

One may say that even these are works of art.

<< You too can share pictures taken at the Panguni Fest. Share them online please >>
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The majestic procession . . .

March 10, 2014, 4:56 am
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The mada veedhis now wear a different look. With some license for imagination, you may say that this area, the east zone of Sri Kapali Temple looks more like a temple festival area in the rural area.

The hawkers have colored the veedhi sides; temporary man taps on all the veedhis where the gods are rested look colorful and even daily shoppers are sharing time at the rituals and processions, thus enlarging the participation.

So when the adikara nandi procession started in a shower of prayer and chants on Sunday morning, early and in that slight nip in the air the celebration was at its height.

There is a certain majestic look to this procession and it was evident this Sunday. As the gods were carried slowly down East Mada Street, waves of devotees crowded around the Nandi, some lingering on the Lord and the alankaram around Him.
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Varieties of jadais for the goddess

March 11, 2014, 2:10 am
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The jadai for the goddess at Panguni time is a work of craft, one might say.
If only you care to stop and look at it. Or some one points it out to you.

So who makes these jadais?
Enquiries reveal that each jadai of the artistic kind is a donation by a devotee. The donor family informs the temple office, gets the jadai created and hands it over to the temple for use.

On Monday evening, the goddess wore the 'naga' jadai.

There may not be donors on some days and on such occasions, volunteers use fresh flowers in place of the jadai.
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Fire and light . . . .

March 11, 2014, 2:36 am
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There are lots and lots of small but key preparations that go into the festival. And they seem to fall into place at the right time and date!

We caught up with the team which readies the 'thee vettis' ; the natural fire lighters that must be a relic of an age when we lived without electricity.

Loads of these lights are required. So a team gathers lots of bamboo sticks and soaks one end in a watery cow dung mix. The sticks thus are baked in the sun.

Every evening a few are taken out, soaked in ghee and lit; volunteers carry the thee vetti at the head of the procession of the gods inside the temple campus and up to the 16 pillar mantapam. 
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Hawker Sita offers fruits to the Lord . . .

March 11, 2014, 2:40 am
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There are lots and lots of devotees who express their prayer and offering to the Lord at this time of the year. They do so quietly and simply.

We meet Sita, who hawks fruits in a street off the temple. She was carrying back a large tray with a variety of fruits which she had offered to the Lord. These would be shared with other devotees outside the temple campus.

Sita said she was a bhakta. She made her offering of fruits every day, through the year. And at Panguni time, her offerings would be special. But only fruits.
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Community spirit and volunteering . . .

March 11, 2014, 3:02 am
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This morning, March 11 as the Lord was about to be taken out in the Savudal Vahanam, we spotted lots of people refreshing themselves near the 16-pillared mantap in Sannidhi Square.

The staff at the popular shop, Giri Trading Agency which is world famous for its books, articles and music for the Hindu religious were offering drinking water.

They said that water was offered free to all devotees every morning of the Panguni festival. "We noticed that many seniors are here for the festival and since the sun is up, they need some refreshment so we volunteered this," said a staff.

Likewise, there are dozens of bhaktas who do their little bit ; offering lime juice or buttermilk, prasadam or medical aid. Each in a way they can.

The best of community spirit.
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Colours of Rishaba Vahanam

March 12, 2014, 12:28 am
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The day of the Rishaba Vahanam is a huge one; on Tuesday night hundreds of people began filing into the temple and them took their place in Sannidhi Square to be part of the event.

We were there a bit past 11 p.m. While the shoppers' and hawkers' life had ebbed on North and South Mada Street, East Mada Street had got a new life.

Inside the temple, on the north eastern side priests numbering fifty or more took turns at the recitation of the Vedas. It would have taken them about 90minutes to do it; the chant adding a nice ring to the shuffle, rush and swish all around us here.
 rishaba v

The goddess was decked and since we have been fascinated with the daily craftwork on the jadai, we looked closet at the one tonight - it was a jaddai in the form of a peacock created with flowers and peacock feathers. The flowers were a variety and a riot and there were a few craft items pinned to the jadai!

The Lord was looking very regal tonight; his shiny satin blue angavastram ran all around him.
He had a grand alankaram of colorful flowers and some dry fruits.

When it was time past the midnight hour, over two dozen volunteers carried the gods and deeparadhana was held thrice at three different points inside the campus; the Lord got into a gentle dance, symbolically created by the volunteers carrying Him.
 
By then more than 3000 plus people had packed into Sannidhi Square.They are all here to get a nice look at the Gods and the final deeparadhana held in the 16-pillared mantap before the procession winds its way through the mada veedhis.

It would be about 6.30 a.m. when the gods get back to their spaces.

Photos and inputs; R. Saravanan.

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Photos taken at start of 'ther' procession

March 13, 2014, 12:46 am
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It was close to 9 a.m. when the chariot carrying the Lord moved out of the shed this Thursday morning. We got a nice perch close to the top and shot the photo that you see here, featured first. It gives a grand view of the hundreds of devotees who chose to gather here from 8 a.m. to see the 'ther' move after the rituals were performed.

The slow summer heat began to grow even as the chariot moved into East Mada Street. People on balconies and terraces on the adjoining buildings sprinkled cold water on the devotees and some threw water sachets for the folks below to quench their thirst.

As the ther rolled past the Pitchu Pillai and the Chitrakulam junction and got into South Mada Street, the busy haunt of vegetable hawkers and shoppers of this area the veedhi was jam packed as the 3rd photo here shows. It was about 10 a.m. then.


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