Ravana Kapaleeswarar Panguni Procession

The peaceful Sunday night when the Ten Headed Lankan King Ravana carried Kapaleeswarar around the Mada Streets in Mylapore to the tunes of a sole ‘Mukha Veena’ 

A large part of the street processions over the first nine days of the Kapaleeswarar Panguni Brahmotsavam had been to the loud drum beats as well as the musical accompaniments of the Nagaswaram and Tavil. The last procession of the Utsavam on Sunday night was different in more ways than one. 

While the temple complex was packed during the Thiru Kalyana Utsavam at the specially decorated mandapam at the eastern entrance with not an inch for any devotee to enter or exit, the hours after provided for a very different experience. There was a quiet calm around the Mada Streets late into the night. A majority of the devotee crowd that witnessed the Thiru Kalyanam had dispersed. The vendors on the streets who made big business on this big day of the Utsavam were seen with happy faces even as they were winding up.  Almost all the shops around the Mada Streets had shut down. 

Thiru Kailaya Darshan

It was against this backdrop that Kapaleeswarar provided Gopura Vaasal darshan at 10.30pm on Sunday night. There were no loud beating of the drums that was symbolic of the street processions at this festival. With Ravana carrying Kapaleeswarar, his favourite instrument ‘Veena’ was played out as the only musical instrument of the procession with two artistes alternating around the four streets. It was easily one of the most peaceful processions of the Utsavam with select devotees enjoying the devotional rendering on the ‘Mukha Veena’. It almost seemed that they were stunned at watching the Great Lankan King Ravana carrying Sri Kapaleeswarar in a majestic 'silent' procession around the four Mada Streets.

Legend has it that Nandi stopped Ravana from flying over Kailasa as it was the sole abode of Shiva and Parvathi. When Ravana tried to lift Mount Kailasa, Lord Shiva placed his big toe on him and he lay crushed under the mountain. An ever ardent devotee of Shiva, Ravana sang verses (Saama Vedam) in praise of the Lord. Pleased with his prayers, Shiva and Parvathi are said to have provided darshan to him. 

This procession is considered a particularly sacred one for following the celestial wedding at the specially decorated Thiru Kalyana Mandapam, Kapaleeswarar and Karpagambal are believed to provide a ‘Thiru Kailaya’ darshan.

Traditional Kolams and the Aarathi Thattu

The residents on the four Mada Streets are of course awake as they have been on all the nights of the procession. Even as Kapaleeswarar was to enter the South Mada Street, the entire street was decked with Pulli Kolams, another devotional feature of this Utsavam with young school going kids competing with one and another to welcome the Lord into their homes with their favourite Kolam of the night. The elders await,with the Aarathi Thattu and a coconut, the arrival of their favourite Lord. At the West end of the South Mada Street, with the full moon shining at its brightest and slowly inching her way on to the West, one priest hands over charge to another to manage the second half of the procession. 

After two and a half hours, Kapaleeswarar entered the Gopura Vaasal sharp at 1am and shortly after the curtains were brought down on the Panguni Brahmotsavam 2021 with a very tired looking Venkatasubramanian Shivachariar performing the sacred ritual. 

A number of devotees had been disappointed with the 'inside' temple- shortened version of the 2020 Brahmotsavam that took place in the first week of this month. But this one over the last ten days, coming as it has after two years, has turned out to be a mega event that has provided great devotional energy to several thousands of devotees, who turned out in large numbers unmindful of the Corona scare to seek the blessings of Kapaleeswarar and Karpagambal.