12 Lords provide Garuda Sevai darshan on the TSR Big Street
Historically, five of the ancient Lords followed the Garuda Sevai with a 'Cooling off' session on the banks of the Cauvery on this Hot Chitrai Day
Akshaya Tritiyai in Chitrai marks the Biggest Festive Day of the year at the TSR Big Street in Kumbakonam. The 12 Vaishnavite Lords of this ancient temple are set to congregate in a few hours at the Western End of this Popular business street.
It is 6am on the morning of
Akshaya Tritiyai (April 18), a day when Ganges is believed to have
emerged on earth with Garuda having played a helpful role in that (hence the
tradition of Garuda Sevai on this day). At the Sarangapani temple in Thiru
Kudanthai, Soundararaja Bhattar who has been in this devotional service for
three decades was working on the Garuda Sevai alankaram.
At the nearby
Ramaswamy temple, Chakravarthi Bhattar had completed the grand alankaram of the
handsome Lord and was awaiting the huge sets of flower garland that has been
ordered from Srirangam to give the final touches to the alankaram. By 7am, Pattabhirama
Bhattar had Lord Chakrapani sporting a majestic look with Garuda draped in a
beautiful bright green silk vastram.
The famous TSR Big Street in
Kumbakonam where the centuries old 12 Garuda Sevai utsavam unfolded later that
morning wore a decorated festive look. A grand long Panthal has been erected in
front of the Ahobila Mutt. By 730am, devotees had already begun to take up vantage
position on both sides of the Street.
A couple of hours later one heard
a loud devotional cheer from the huge crowd on the TSR Big Street signifying
the entry of the first Lord of the morning. Within the next half hour, the
Vaishnavite Lords of Kumbakonam had taken up their respective positions at the
far West End of the Big Street. By now
the crowd had swelled to several thousands on the hot Chitrai day.
Entry of
Sarangapani into the Big Street
Back at the Aravamudhan Divya
Desam, Prabhandham scholars were presenting the verses of Thirumangai Azhwar on
Thiru Kudanthai.
At 9.30 am, led by Nam Azhwar, Thirumangai Azhwar and
Thirumazhisai Azhwar, Lord Sarangapani made his way out of the towering Raja
Gopuram.
The devotees and the shop owners welcomed Sarangapani calling out his
name ‘Saranga’ in unison. He took his
place alongside Chakrapani in the front row with Aathi Varaha Perumal and Raja
Gopalan right behind them.
Lord Rama’s delayed
arrival
As the clock ticket past 10.30am,
everyone wondered on the missing link on the front row. It has been the
tradition for a century for Sarangapani Perumal to be flanked by Chakrapani and
Ramaswamy. While Lord Rama had been ready for departure early in the morning, a
minor pay dispute at the final moment with the Sri Patham Thangis led to a
delay. Finally, just after 11am, after all the other Lords had waited almost
for an hour, Lord Rama took up his historical position alongside Lord Sarangapani.
There were different kinds of Garuda Vahanas on display with each of the Bhattars exhibited his Alankaram skill sporting the Lord in different attires much to the delight of the devotees. Aathi Varaha Perumal was particularly special as he provided darshan in Varaha Avataram – a Unique Feature for the utsava deities in Vaishnavite temples always provide darshan only in human form and not in the avataram form.
82 year old G Kunchithapatham, a Chartered Accountant has witnessed the Garuda Sevai for well over seven decades. He remembers the Garuda Sevai from the 2nd half of the 1940s “I was all of 10 years old.
'It was a
festival that everyone in the temple town looked forward to. Just a single
Garuda Sevai is special. And when 12 different Lords provided Garuda Sevai
darshan at one place, all of us saw it as a divine opportunity to seek their
Blessings. It was with great joy that all of us gathered at the Western End of
TSR Big Street to watch the 12 Lords. In those years, all the Lords used to
congregate early in the morning around 7am and they used to provide darshan
till around 2pm.”
The 12 Garuda Sevai Lords
Over the last century, it has been Sarangapani, Chakrapani, Ramaswamy, Aathi Varaha Perumal, Rajagopalan (Thoppu Street), Rajagopalan (Bazaar Street), Santhanagopalan Krishnan (Malluga Chetty Street), Patabhiramar (Kamakshi Street), Navaneetha Krishnan (Mela Kottaiyur), Navaneetha Krishnan (Patrachar Street), Varadaraja Perumal (Mela Cauvery) and Srinivasa Perumal (Pulianchery near Swami Malai – Did not make it this year) that have made it to the Garuda Sevai on the Akshaya Tritiya day.
It has historically been a festival
hosted by the shop keepers of TSR Big Street. 73 year old V Kannan, a jewellery
shop owner on that street has been an integral part of this festival for over
50 years ‘Devotees used to arrive very early on the morning with their family having
walked all the way from the neighbouring villages to witness this grandest
Garuda Sevai of Kumbakonam. Since the early 1960s, we have been presenting
Panagam and Butter Milk to all the devotees who visit the Garuda Sevai.
'This year we organized 10000 glasses. I
remember as a school boy in those decades in the 1950s and 60s having watched
the grand preparation on the Big Street with great interest. The ground work
used to start one month ahead of the festival. The entire street used to have a
huge Panthal with plantains and coconuts being part of the decoration.'
The return trip on
a littered street
By noon, as is the case these
days during big festivals, the entire street wore an untidy look. Unmindful of
the fact the Lords were to make their return trip through this Street, food
particles, cups and waste papers were littered in thousands right in the middle.
Having provided darshan to the
huge devotee crowd, each of the Lords began their return journey to the
respective abodes with the bare footed Sri Patham bearing the brunt of the
sweltering Chitrai heat and having to evade the dirt that had now filled the
entire street.
Revival of
‘Cooling off’ Trip after the Garuda Sevai
A century earlier, five of the 12
Garuda Sevai Lords used to go the banks of the Cauvery after providing darshan
on TSR Big Street to cool off and as a resting exercise after spending the
first half of the day in the hot Chitrai Sun. These are the five ancient
Vaishnavite Lords of Kumbakonam that also make the trip for the Theerthavari
Utsavam on Maasi Magam. Tents used to be set up on the banks of the river and
prasadam used to be distributed late in the evening. When financial constraints arose, the post
Garuda Sevai exercise was restricted to a trip to the Rajagopalan temple on
Bazaar Street and this went on for about two decades. Around 60 years ago, this
too came to a halt.
Karunakaran
Swamy is hopeful of a full revival very soon ‘We have started off with the
revival of Divya Desam Lord Sarangapani’s trip. We are hoping that next year
Lord Chakrapani too will be able to join on this cooling trip and then sometime
in the near future, Lord Ramaswamy too would be able to join like in the first
half of the previous century.”
Karunakaran Swamy had also
organized the renovation of the Raja Gopalan temple a few years ago including
the installation of an integrated idol for Nadathur Ammal and his disciple
Vedanta Desikar. During the annual Brahmotsavam in Maasi, Nadathur Ammal and
Desikar go on a street procession with Lord Raja Gopalan.
An interesting feature of the new
temple tower is that the life story of Nadathur Ammal has been sculpted in the
front with the life story of Krishna on the back. Also, sculpted are the seven
Azhwars who sang praise of Lord Aravamuthan of Thiru Kudanthai.
After having spent the entire evening listening to a devotional rendering of Koil Tiruvoimozhi, Sarangapani returned to his abode just after 9pm bringing to end the Akshaya Tritiyai Utsavam.
(A version of this story featured in Today's The Hindu Friday Review)
3 comments:
Thank you sir for this article
I want to know that exact place???
Pramadham
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