A 9 hour
outing of Lord Namperumal on Friday evening culminates in a once in a year trip through the Adayavalanjan street
of Srirangam
The Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam sees four
major utsavams with Vahana processions in the first four months of the calendar
year. The Utsava deity Namperumal goes around the Uthira Veethi during the
first two, in Thai and Maasi, while he makes his way around the Chitrai Veethi
in Panguni and Chitrai. For the only time in the year, Lord Namperumal
provides darshan to devotees on the outer street of West Adayavalanjan,
following the Theppam and the morning after on the 9th and 10th
days of the Maasi Utsavam.
For the procession on Friday (Feb 15) evening to
the Theppam, Sri and Bhoo Devi Thaayar were decked in a special Kondai Alankaram. For over a couple of hours, the Prabhandham Ghosti presented Siriya Thiru Madal and Periya Thiru Madal.
Theppam spurs Trade
As is the case with Theppotsavam, the entire area leading to the tank West of Melur Road saw brisk business, with street side shops that had sprung up ahead of the Theppam.
Majority had made their way back by the time the Lord made his way on to the mandapam in the middle of the tank for Ghosti and Thaligai.
Majority had made their way back by the time the Lord made his way on to the mandapam in the middle of the tank for Ghosti and Thaligai.
Preparations ahead of the Lord’s return trip
By 9pm, the entire Northern End of West
Adayavalanjan lined up with beautiful white pulli kolams with the residents showcasing
their drawing skills. It was the one day in the year when Lord Namperumal makes
his way through this street. Such street processions are beautifully marketed
by the HR & CE these days. They have created a remunerative ‘Ubayam’ model
over the last four decades. And thus one found ‘Pandals’ through the Northern
side of West Adayavalanjan.
It was just after 10 pm when Lord Namperumal began
his return procession from the Theppa Mandapam. The Prabhandham Ghosti, who were waiting for the
Lord’s entry into West Adayavalanjan, began the recital of Thiru Mangai
Azhvaar’s Thiru Kurunthaandagam as they led the Lord into the street with a
slow devotional rendering. At the tail end of
the street, the Lord made his way into the first real large apartments block
that had sprung up on North end of West Adayavalanjan, a couple of decades ago.
The story on North Adayavalanjan was no different.
Devotees stayed awake in large numbers to welcome the Lord into their homes.
The well lit street was dotted with kolams as the Ghosti continued with their
rendering of Thiru Kurunthaandagam.
It was past 11pm when the Lord reached the North
Tower of the temple to provide a quick five minute darshan to Ranganayaki
Thaayar. The Ghosti now began the recital of Thiru Nedunthaandagam as the Lord
made his way back through the Chitrai streets. The evening of the 9th
day marks the Lord’s move from the Uthira Veethi procession (after the Thai and
Maasi Utsavams) into Chitrai Veethi. The huge crowd that one associates with
processions in Srirangam was missing and this made for a peaceful quiet darshan
for those few who accompanied the Lord on this late night return trip from the
Theppam.
It was past midnight when the Lord made his way
into the Renga Renga Gopuram in the South. At around 00.30 hours, the ghosti
completed the Satru Murai of Thiru Nedunthaandagam and Lord Namperumal finally
went to rest after a long 9 hour outing.
But this was to be only a short break for the Lord
as he was up early in the morning. As compared to what he went through in the
second half of the previous century, the 10th day was to be a long
day out in the Sun for the Lord. The overall economic development and the
marketing exercise that the HR & CE has now come to specialize in has meant
that what was once a couple of hours trip to the Aasthana Theppa Mandam on this
10th morning of the Maasi Utsavam is now a tiring 7 hour procession with half a century stopovers.
50 Stopovers and a 7 hour procession in the Sun
As was the case the previous evening at the North
end of West Adayavalanjan, the residents of the Southern side had marked the
entire street with Kolams and Pandals. The entire street was abuzz ahead of the
Lord’s trip. With the 10th day falling on a Saturday, the devotee
crowd gathered in large numbers. The number of apartments that have come up in
the last decade resulted in the Lord making his into most of these new
apartments as part of the ‘ubayam’ exercise.
However, this hugely extended trip of the Lord
finds few complainants among the other service personnel for it is another day
of the year when those accompanying the Lord are ‘gifted’ by the Ubayathaarars. From the residents’ point of view, it is their day
out in the year when they see the Lord visiting their homes and thus the
happiness is reflected in their gifting for those accompanying the Lord on the
day. After well over 7 hours in the hot Sun – it is the
period in the year when day was becoming hotter following the winter season -
the Lord reached the aasthana mandapam near the Theppam for the Thirumanjanam.
1 comment:
Superb swamy
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