Srirangam Maasi Theppam

West Adayavalanjan’s day out in the year

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 9^th and 10^th 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.

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. 

The night when Uthira Veethi procession moves into Chitrai Veethi

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 9^th 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.

Only a short sleep for the Lord

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 10^th 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 10^th 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 10^th 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. 

Almost close to 50 ubayams (up from just a few a couple of decades ago) on this 10^th morning also meant that it was a tiring morning for the short staffed madapalli inside the temple. They had to make (what is now called ‘athika padi’) and bring the prasadam from the temple for each of these halts leaving them furious. Athika Padi Thaligai means that in addition to the daily route of presentation to the Lord inside the temple, the staffers at the madapalli have to make food in large extra quantities and walk to the different Ubayam destinations.

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.

At 730pm, Lord Namperumal left on the Bandha Kaatchi procession, the last of the Maasi Utsavam,  led by the Prabhandham Ghosti rendering Ramanuja Nootranthaathi. The utsavam concluded with ‘Padippu’ highlighting the features of the utsavam and thanking the Lord for the safe conduct of the Utsavam.